Harry Potter And The Summer Of Surprise
by rubiksbox
Summary: The summer before Harry's 7th year finds him working at a job his Aunt and Uncle make him take. The upside? He runs into Hermione one day. Story's problems have hopefully been fixed and is in it's original form.
1. Work And Invitations

Harry Potter And The Summer Of Surprise- Chapter 1

Work And Invitations

Author's Notes- This is the first Harry Potter story that I wrote, and it was finished before DH, but after HBP. However, I read DH not long after finishing this and made some changes to reflect that. Nothing big, just Hermione's name and Harry's parents' birthdays, really. And I know that some of the things in this story are more American than British, but I _am_ American, so that's just the way I wrote it.

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter.

Harry Potter shook his unrully raven black hair out of his eyes and started the next order. As he scanned each item he listened for the beep that told him the item was checked out.

_**Why today of all days, did they have to put me on **_**this **_**lane? The bloody thing crashes at least once a week, and given the fact that we are **_**extremely**_** busy, I'll bet it does it soon **_he thought as he told the woman her total. She handed over the exact change, and he put it into his drawer. When the receipt finished printing, he tore it off the roll and handed it to her.

"Do you need any help out with your order?" The woman shook her head, not quite meeting Harry's eyes. She seemed to be in a hurry to get away from him. He couldn't blame her. He _did_ look pretty ratty. Today he was wearing his best (if you could call it that) shirt, cast-off from his cousin, sleeves rolled up three times so he could use his hands, and it had an uneven hem, due to the fact that it had been so long on him, he had looked as if he were wearing a dress, so he cut off the excess length. Now it was almost too short. It stopped just below the waistband of his least torn up jeans, also cast-offs, which were held up with a belt that could have wrapped three times around him easily, and were 'still' too big. He was constantly hitching them back up.

"Have a nice day!" he said with forced cheer. He heard a scrape of metal, and looked to the end of his lane.

"Break time, Potter." His supervisor blocked the end with a 'closed' sign. Harry sighed with relief, turned off his light and headed to the back room, where he collapsed in the nearest chair. He looked up at the television and stared at the ridiculous game show that was playing. The contestants were dressed in bizarre outfits. One was Little Red Riding Hood, and her companion was The Big Bad Wolf. But it was the third contestant that got his attention. She was dressed in a light green minidress with a ragged hem, matching slippers were on her feet with white puffballs on the toes, a pair of cheap gauzy wings were strapped to her back, her blonde hair was in a tight bun on top of her head and she had covered herself with something to make her shimmer and sparkle. The host was asking her what she was.

"I'm Peter Pan's pixie friend, Tinkerbell." Harry was glad he was alone in the breakroom at that moment, as he started laughing harder than he ever had in his life. He laughed so hard, he fell out of the chair and onto the floor, where he rolled around, holding his sides as they started to hurt. When he finally got himself under control, he returned to the chair and removed his glasses so he could wipe the tears that were streaming down his face. The woman had looked absolutely _nothing_ like a pixie.

Harry himself had seen real pixies at Hogwarts. He shook his head and made a mental note to tell his friends, Ron and Hermione about that one, then remembered that he would have to wait for Hedwig to get back from her present errand for him. She was off delivering notes to both of them and to the Order about his job and how his summer was going so far.

Harry sighed and put his glasses back on as he stood up and headed back to his lane. He wished he were headed back to school after work instead of his aunt and uncle's house. They had insisted that he get a job to keep him out of their hair for the summer and as he was going to be seventeen soon, the store he had put his application in had given him the opportunity to work as many hours as they needed him for. For the first three days, he had been training and was there from seven in the morning until three in the afternoon. The hours stayed the same over the next five days, but he was alone on his lane. The second day on his own, he had been on his current lane, and of course, down it went two hours into his shift. The customers had all looked at him as if it were his fault, but his supervisor had just come over and rebooted his computer, telling the people in the line that it would be a few minutes, and would they mind waiting. A few had left the lane and gone to another, but most of them stayed when they saw it wasn't Harry's fault after all as the man explained to him that the lane did this on a weekly basis.

He looked at the clock and saw he had two hours left until his long walk home. Vernon may have grudgingly agreed to drop him off in the mornings, but Harry was on his own in the afternoons. And today, one of the people who usually drove him, was home himself, in bed sick, and the other had the day off.

The time passed slowly, customers coming and going in a steady stream. Fifteen minutes before he was to leave, he heard a familiar voice call his name. He looked at the end of the line and saw Hermione Granger, wearing a loose yellow tank top and jean shorts, waving to him. He smiled and waved back as he handed the man in front of him a pen so he could write out a check for his order. He took them a few minutes later and ran the check through the system. His drawer opened and he put it inside, and tore off the receipt as it finished printing. He handed it to the man.

"Thank you. Do you need any help out with your order?" The man nodded, and Harry called for a carry-out. The bagger put the last bag in the man's cart just as the carry-out arrived. "Have a nice day!" Harry said, this time with real cheer in his voice. Hermione and the woman she was with finished putting their items on the conveyor belt. He grinned again as Hermione bounced in front of him.

"Harry! I didn't know you were working here!" She pulled the woman close to her. "This is my aunt, Laura Parker. Aunt Laura, this is my friend from school, Harry Potter." Harry extended his hand and Laura shook it.

"Pleased to meet you, Harry," Laura said, smiling broadly.

"Likewise," he answered. He started to check out their order while they talked. Fortunately, there was no one in his line behind them, as Hermione was talking a mile a minute.

They were interrupted by the scrape of metal and Harry's supervisor saying, "Potter, shut down." The man walked around the sign and handed Harry an envelope.

"Good work, Potter. Keep it up." Harry pocketed the envelope and turned off his light.

"Yes sir, Mr. Bloom." The man left.

"Is it time for you to go home, Harry?" Hermione asked. He nodded.

"Do you need a ride?" Laura offered. Harry nodded and thanked her.

"I was going to walk. My uncle has a fit about having to bring me in the morning, and as he doesn't get off work until six, I would have to stay here for another three more hours." He finished ringing up their order and told Laura the amount. She handed over the money and he gave her the change and receipt.

"We'll wait for you outside, Harry," Hermione said as he walked around the sign to the back room, where he picked out the time card that said - Potter, Harry J. - and punched out. On the way out the door, he checked his schedule and was happy to see that he had the weekend off. He walked out into the sunlight and easily found Laura's car as he saw Hermione hanging out the window of a two door, fire-engine red Mercedes.

"Come on, Harry!" She stepped out of the car and pulled the seat forward. Harry moved to get in, but she slid into the backseat with the groceries. "Get in," she said, and he pushed the seat back into place and slid into the car, closing the door after himself. Laura rolled up the power windows and he felt a cool rush of air blow his hair off his forehead, revealing his lightning shaped scar. He sighed happily, settling back into his seat. Hermione giggled at him.

"Comfy, Harry?" she said, tapping him on the shoulder with the strap to his seat belt. He nodded and took it, pulling it across his chest and clicking it home by his hip.

"This feels so much better after the heat of the store. And I know it's air-conditioned in there as well," he said as she started to tell him that it had been cool in there, too. "But you try working in there for eight hours on a busy day and tell me _you_ wouldn't be hot." Laura chuckled next to him.

"Would you like to cash your check, Harry?" He started. He had completely forgotten about his check! He pulled the envelope out of his pocket and opened it. It was more than he thought it would be, a lot more. Even with his having been paid time and a half for his training and double time on Sunday, he was still astounded at the amount of his check.

"If it's not too much trouble. I mean, my uncle's bank is about twenty minutes from here." Laura smiled.

"I think we can find a closer bank than that." Harry opened his mouth to protest, to tell her that his uncle's bank was the only one that recognized him and would take his check. Hermione laid her hand on his shoulder.

"Aunt Laura is the president of the First Trust and Loan, Harry, and it's only three blocks from where you work."

They pulled into a space in the parking lot of an impressive looking building. Laura shut off the engine and got out. Harry hesitated, until Hermione prompted him to follow her aunt. He turned as he exited the car, pulled the seat forward and held out his hand to help her out.

"Thank you, Harry," she said as they followed Laura into the bank. They entered the lobby, and Harry was instantly reminded sharply of Gringott's, where his wizarding account was. Marble floors, high ceilings, people milling around everywhere. They waited in the line of the nearest teller for a few minutes. Harry noticed that Hermione seemed a little nervous. He was about to ask her why, when he noticed they were next in line. Laura stepped up to the window with Harry and her niece and spoke to the teller.

"Phyllis, this Harry Potter, a friend of my niece. He needs to cash his check. Can you help him?" Phyllis smiled at Harry.

"Of course. I need to see your ID." He pulled out his wallet, noticing Hermione was biting her lip with apprehension. He took out his identification card and handed it to the woman along with his check. Phyllis wrote down the information she needed and handed them back to him. "I just need your signature." He signed the back of the check and took his card back. Phyllis started counting out money on the counter and when she had finished, she gathered it up and handed it to Harry.

"Thank you," he told her.

"Anytime." Harry turned and looked at Hermione, who looked greatly relieved. He put the money and his ID into his wallet and put it back into his pocket, giving her a confused look.

As he was about to ask her about her reaction to his check and identification, Laura said, "There you are, sir. Now, when you need your check cashed, come here." Harry nodded. "Now, let's get those groceries to the house and you and Harry can have a little visit before we take him home." Hermione smiled widely and the three of them walked back out into the sunlight.

Laura pulled into the driveway of her house and turned off the engine. The three of them got out and retrieved the groceries from the backseat. They walked up to the front door and waited while Laura unlocked it to let them in. Inside, Harry looked around, seeing the setup was pretty much the same as at the Dursley's. He followed Hermione into the kitchen and sat the bags he was carrying on the island that sat in the middle of the right half of the room. He felt something brush his legs and hearing a soft meow, looked down to see Crookshanks winding around his ankles. He bent down and picked the large ginger cat up.

"Did you miss me?" he asked.

"Of course I did!" Hermione said huffily turning around to face him. She saw her pet in his arms and blushed. "You were talking to Crookshanks." She turned back around in embarrassment as Harry and Laura laughed. Harry put Crookshanks down and the cat headed over to his bowl to see if anything new had been put in it recently. The phone in the next room rang and Laura left to answer it. Harry walked around the island.

"Can I help?" Hermione reached in between a cabinet and the refrigerator and pulled out a stepstool.

"You can hand me things so I can put them in the cupboard." She climbed onto the first step and Harry turned to pick up a box of cereal. A sudden movement flashed at the edge of his vision. He heard her gasp and with reflexes honed from hours of Quidditch practices and actual games looking for and finding the snitch, spun and caught her just before her head hit the edge of the island. She gasped again as she landed in his arms. He helped her stand upright and noticed that her shirt had slid down in the front, and he saw right away that she was not wearing a bra as her breasts were now exposed to his gaze. He turned his head, moved away and tried desperately to stop the sudden southward flow of blood in his body.

"What's wrong?" she asked. He gestured in her general direction.

"Y-y-y-your shirt. Y-y-y-y-your... ummm..." He trailed off.

She looked down and saw his problem. Both of them. Smiling slyly, she pulled her top back into place and said, "You can look now, Harry." He turned back around as she continued. "Maybe you should be the one to climb on this thing anyway." She lay her hand on the back of the step stool. "You're taller than me."

He nodded and stepped up onto the first step. She handed him two cans and he reached up to put them in the cupboard. As he did so, his shirt pulled up and she was treated to the sight of his back just above his jeans, which had slid down on his hips. Almost dangerously low. She handed him the cereal box and two more cans, just so he would have to stretch some more. His pants dropped farther down and her breath caught in her throat. Now revealed to her eyes was the barest swell of his backside and her lips started twitching with the desire to kiss the faint view of the cleft in the center. She slowly became aware that he was talking to her and shook her head. She looked up at him, disappointed at the interruption of her budding fantasy.

"Sorry, what?"

He looked over his shoulder at her and said, "I asked if that was all that went into the cupboard?" She nodded and dropped her eyes to their original position. Harry looked down and blushed as he realized what she was staring at. He pulled up his jeans and chuckled sheepishly.

"I guess we're even now." She looked up at him again, now absolutely frustrated at the fact that he had again interrupted her thoughts.

"What do you mean?" Harry looked over his shoulder again.

"Well, you flash me, and I almost moon _you_." They both started laughing. He stepped down and handed her the items that went into the fridge. Ten minutes later they were sitting at the table, drinking Pepsi and Hermione was laughing at Harry's stories about his job.

"You mean it crashes on a regular basis?" He nodded and continued.

"And the bad thing is, it did it during rush hour and I had a line backed up to the pet food! And people were glaring at me!" That brought a thought to his mind. "That reminds me. What was wrong at the bank?" She blushed slightly.

"I was just worried that you might not have had an ID." Harry reached around to his back pocket and pulled out his wallet. He drew out his identification and handed it to her.

"I had to get it to get my job, which Uncle Vermon and Aunt Petunia were insisting on in the first place. They paid for it, but they didn't want to. It made them have to admit that I _did_ live in their house." She looked down at his picture on the card. It was a good picture. His hair was almost under control, and his bright green eyes showed through his glasses, making her breath hitch. She glanced at him quickly to see if he had heard, but he was looking at the money in his wallet.

"Harry?" she said, holding out the card to him. He took it and put it in its sleeve, still looking at the money, as if he couldn't believe it was really there.

"Is this money mine? Is it actually _mine_?" He looked at her. "I have never had any money outside of the wizarding world. Not that I really cared. But it's nice to have it, now. I know what I'm going to do with this, too. I'm going to buy new clothes and shoes." They both looked down at his worn out shoes. Laura entered the kitchen and headed to the refrigerator.

"Harry, would you like to stay for dinner?" Harry's stomach growled softly. "We're having roast chicken, mashed potatoes, and for dessert, hot fudge sundaes." His stomach growled again, louder this time. Laura and Hermione both laughed.

"Well, I would have to call home and ask." Hermione stood up and beckoned him to follow her. She led the way into the living room and to the phone in the front corner, leaving him alone so he could have privacy to make his call. He dialed his home number and waited. After the fifth ring, the Dursley's new answerphone picked up. He listened for the beep and left his message.

"Aunt Petunia, it's Harry. I'm at a friends' house and they have invited me to stay for dinner. I'll phone back later to see if you received this message." He hung up the phone, confused. He wondered where they might be. Shrugging his shoulders to dismiss the thought, he headed back to the kitchen. Hermione looked up from her position at the island where she was peeling potatoes.

"What did they say?"

Harry shrugged.

"They weren't home. Probably took my cousin out to eat." Laura put the pan of chicken in the oven and looked up at them.

"Well, to me that means you're staying for dinner," she said smiling at him, then she snapped her fingers. "That reminds me. I was talking to your aunt Diana on the phone earlier." Hermione clapped her hands excitedly.

"Aunt Diana! What did she want?" Laura took a cutting board out of a drawer in the island.

"She just wanted to tell me that your cousin is going to come to visit sometime this summer." She started chopping the potatoes that Hermione had peeled. Harry moved over to join them.

"Is there anyhing I can do?" Laura shook her head.

"There's nothing left but to set the table." Harry smiled.

"I can do that, then." Hermione told him where the dishes and the silverwear were, and Harry went to get them. He set the table and moved Hermione and Laura to laughter as he showed he was a perfectionist at the task.

"And I insist on one thing," he said as he finished laying out the silverwear, "As payment for you inviting me for dinner," he pointed to himself, tapping his chest, his other hand on his hip. "_I_ do the dishes."

The three of them started laughing all over again.


	2. If That's The Way They Want It

Harry Potter And The Summer Of Surprise- Chapter 2

If That's The Way They Want It...

DIsclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter

Harry hung up the phone and confused, returned to the boardgame the three were playing.

"Still no answer?" Hermione asked, looking up as he sat down next to her on the loveseat. He shook his head.

"I just don't know where they could possibly be." He looked at the clock above the door.

"It's almost nine." Laura spoke up. "Why don't you just stay here for the night, Harry? You can call again in the morning, and I can take you to work tomorrow if you like." Harry shook his head.

"I don't have to work this weekend, and I can't impose on you like that. If you could just drive me home, I know they'll be there soon." Hermione narrowed her eyes.

"Are you sure?" she asked him. He nodded. Laura stood up.

"Well, let me get my keys and we'll go, then."

A while later they were driving down Privet Drive and stopped in front of a completely dark number four.

"I don't think they're here, Harry," Hermione said from the backseat. Harry spotted something white stuck to the front of the door.

"I'll be right back." he said and exited the car. He walked up the front walk to the door. It was a note addressed to him. He pulled it down and read it by the light of a nearby streetlamp.

-Harry,

We have gone on holiday to see Marge. You are going to have to find somewhere else to stay for the week. The house is locked so you can't get in and go through our belongings.

Uncle Vernon-

Anger seethed through Harry. _**Gone on holiday? Find somewhere else to stay? Go through their belongings! What the **_**hell**_** do they think I am! A criminal? **_He crumpled the note in his hand and returned to the car.

"You are not going to believe this!" he said when he had closed the door. "They locked me out of the house!" Laura looked shocked.

"They did _what_?" Hermione gasped from behind him. He tossed the note back to her. Laura turned on the light so Hermione could see. She smoothed it, and read it out loud. Harry noticed Laura's hands were turning white as she gripped the steering wheel.

"Hermione has told me about how your family treats you, but this is ridiculous! What do they expect you to do, sleep in the park?" Harry reached behind him and took the note back from Hermione.

"Anyone got a pen?" Laura opened her purse and pulled one out. He took it with a thank you and wrote his own note at the bottom.

-Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia,

How about I find somewhere else to stay for the rest of the summer, then? I have all my stuff for school, so you won't have to see me again. Not that you'll want to anyway after I turn seventeen.

Harry

P.S. I didn't touch your stuff. -

He handed the pen back to Laura and turned to look at the house.

"Now I just have to figure out how to get into the house. Even my wand is in my room." Laura patted his shoulder.

"Don't worry, Harry. If I know my niece..." Hermione thrust her own wand up between the seats.

"Let's go." They got out and followed Harry around to the back door. Hermione stepped up to it and quietly muttered "Alohomora!", and opened the door.

Harry led the way through the dark house to the bottom of the stairs. He turned, noticing the others weren't with him. Hermione had stopped in front of the cupboard under the stairs. She put out a shaking hand to open the door. Harry waited patiently as she turned on the light and the two of them stared into what used to be his bedroom.

"Oh my God, Harry," Hermione said, turning to face him, tears standing in her eyes. "This is where you slept before..." She trailed off as a sob escaped her throat. Harry shrugged.

"You think that's bad, wait 'til you see what's upstairs." He started up the steps, this time with the girls behind him. "See what I mean?" he said as they reached the hallway, and he stepped aside so they could see the many locks that Vernon had put on his door.

"What is that?" Laura asked, pointing to the cat flap at the bottom. Harry and Hermione looked down.

"That's so they could shove bits of food into my room when they thought to feed me," Harry ground out, turning the handle and opening the door. Another sob wrenched out of Hermione as she followed him in. He moved in front of the wardrobe that stood against one wall and yanked open the door. He started pulling things out and tossing them on the bed.

Stopping only to open his trunk as he pulled it out as well, Harry said, "I want to get out of here as soon as possible." Hermione and Laura joined in, throwing anything that Harry said he wanted into the trunk.

A few minutes later, Hermione was about to close the lid, when Harry said, "Hold on a second," and disappeared under the bed.

They heard boards clacking together and he slid back out holding the photo album Hagrid had given him at the end of first year. He lay it on top and shut the lid, clicking the locks.

"Did we miss anything else?" he asked. They looked around at the now bare room and each shook her head. He picked up Hedwig's empty cage and handed it to Hermione. Then he and Laura both picked up and end of his trunk and they headed back downstairs, Harry intentionally leaving his bedroom door open (Won't _that_ drive Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia bonkers!).

Hermione put Hedwig's cage down only long enough to turn off the light in the cupboard and reclose the door, then she headed out the front door on the heels of Harry and her aunt, pulling it closed behind her and making sure it was locked again. At the car, Hermione performed the enlargement charm to expand the inside so that she could sit comfortably in the backseat with Harry's trunk and the cage. While the others were loading his things in the car, Harry headed back around the house and after throwing the note on the counter to further confuse his aunt and uncle and changing the tape in the answerphone after covering his hands with his sleeves to prevent fingerprints, he relocked the door and closed it just as Hermione came around the side of the house.

"Ready?" she asked.

"Yes. Let's get the hell out of here," he said, slipping the tape he had taken into his pocket. Hermione looked surprised at his language, but said nothing. She had seen enough inside the house to understand why he chose those words. Together, they returned to the car, where Harry asked for the pen and a piece of paper as they got in. When they were given to him, he asked Laura for her address. He wrote down what she told him and handed the pen back to her once more. "Can we make one quick stop before we go back to your house?" Laura nodded and Harry directed her to Mrs. Figg's house.

They pulled up in front and Harry got out, ran up to the front door and knocked. It was answered quickly by Mrs. Figg, who invited him inside. "No, thank you, Mrs. Figg. I'm in a bit of a hurry. I was wondering if you could do me a favor?" Mrs. Figg looked surprised.

"Of course, Harry. What is it?" He handed her the piece of paper with Laura's address.

"Could you keep a watch for my owl? She may be back soon, and won't know where I am. I'm staying at that address tonight, and they'll let her know where I am if I'm not there when she shows up." Mrs. Figg looked at the paper then back at Harry.

"Of course," she said again. "But, Harry, what's going on? Why are you leaving your aunt and uncle's house?" Harry frowned.

"It would take too long to explain. Just know that I've had enough of the Dursleys for a lifetime." He thanked her and returned to the car. On the way back to Laura's house, he said, "I guess I'm staying with you for the night after all. I'll figure out where to go for the rest of the summer, tomorrow." Laura looked at him.

"What do you mean, _where to go_? You're staying with me and Hermione." Harry opened his mouth to protest, but Hermione thumped him on the shoulder before he could say anything.

"Don't you _dare_ say no! We'd be more than happy to have you, and you know it!" Harry chuckled.

"All right, then. Let's go home."


	3. Unexpected Things And Happenings

Harry Potter And The Summer Of Surprise- Chapter 3

Unexpected Things And Happenings

DIsclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter

Harry opened the bathroom door and pulled the towel he was using to dry his hair off his head, putting it back on the towel rack. He picked up his glasses, and slid them onto his nose, then dressed in the only clothes he owned that actually fit him. First, a pair of old sweatpants that had been Dudley's when he was about nine, which Harry had cut the legs off of, turning them into a pair of shorts. Next was a t-shirt that had actually been too small for his cousin in the first place when it had been bought for him at ten, and Petunia had given it to Harry after Dudley had ripped the seam on one of the sleeves. Harry had torn both of them off, and even though it had been six sizes too large for him at first, it now fit quite nicely.

A knock sounded at the door of his room, and Hermione opened and looked around it to see him standing in the doorway of the bathroom. She held a camera up to her face. "Smile, Harry!" she said as she snapped his picture.

"What was that for?" he asked.

"Just so you can have a picture of yourself finally having a great summer without the Dursleys." Harry gave her a little smile and stepped into his room.

"I don't think it'll be the whole summer." Hermione cocked her head to one side, confused. "As soon as McGonagall and the Order find out what I've done, it'll be back under lock and key in my room, only being allowed out to go to the bathroom and to work." He turned away from her, clenching his fists at his sides. "I swear, Hermione, I would rather go to Azkaban."

He walked across the emerald carpet to his trunk at the foot of the bed and opened it, pulling out the items they had heedlessly thrown into it in their hurry to get him out of the Dursley's. Laying a small white box next to the trunk, Harry stood up, holding his school books and Firebolt.

Carrying them to the bookcase that stood against one sea-foam colored wall, he lined up the books on one shelf, and lay his prized broomstick across the top. He returned to the trunk and pulled out his amazingly still folded clothes. He carried these to the dresser and started to put them away.

"Harry, are all of your clothes Dudley's cast-offs?" he heard Hermione ask from behind him. He nodded silently as he put his shirts in the drawer. "Even these?" Harry looked over his shoulder and blushed when he saw what she was refering to. He had dropped a pair of his boxers on the floor and she had picked them up. He held out his hand. She walked over and he took them, shoving the offending article into the bottom drawer.

"Yes. Even those." Hermione giggled, and followed him back to the trunk. He pulled out his school robes and took them to the closet. When they were hanging neatly, he turned to see Hermione staring intently at a spot on the floor next to his trunk. He moved to her side and saw that the box he had laid there a few short minutes earlier, was gone. In its place sat a larger white box with a hinged lid and silver writing on the top. He knelt down to read it. Lily Evans-Potter/ James Potter. Harry sat on the floor.

"Where did this come from?" he asked, pulling the box into his lap. Hermione sat down next to him as he opened it. An envelope addressed to him lay on top. He opened it and pulled out the paper that was inside. It read-

Harry,

This box was put in the care of your aunt after your grandparents' deaths with the strictest instructions that it and its contents not be destroyed. I felt that it was time it was returned to you. I know you have left the Dursley's, and given the reason, I feel that you would be safer staying with Miss Granger and her aunt for the duration of the summer. Therefore, I have placed the same wards that protected you at your aunt and uncle's home in this box. They were activated when it was opened. Have a good summer, Harry, and I shall see you at the beginning of next term.

Professor McGonagall

P.S. I have informed the Order of your whereabouts.-

A huge grin split Harry's face. "YES!" He threw his arms into the air in triumph. Hermione shrank away from him until he handed her the paper. He flopped down onto his back. "I get to stay!" Hermione read the note quickly and joined in his happiness. Harry rolled over onto his side and propped his head on his hand. "Take another picture," he said.

"What?" was her reply.

"When you took the first picture, I didn't know that I was staying. Now I do!" He sat up and leaning towards Hermione, kissed her squarely on the mouth. When he pulled away, her hand flew to her lips. They didn't feel any different to her fingers, but she knew her mind would never forget the feel of Harry's mouth pressed against hers, even if it had only been for a second. She saw that he hadn't even noticed her reaction.

Harry had started looking through the contents of the box. It contained many pictures, muggle and wizard, items such as a blue and gold brooch bearing some sort of bird and a scarlet and gold amulet bearing a lion, both of which Harry laid aside, and documents that made no sense to him when he tried to read them. One sheet of paper made him gasp, though, and when Hermione looked up at him, she saw that he looked as if he were going to pass out from shock.

"Harry! What is it?" He held out the paper, and she took it. It was a wizard birth certificate. It was _Harry's_ wizard birth certificate.-

CERTIFICATE OF LIVE BIRTH

CHILD-

NAME OF CHILD: Harry James Potter

DATE OF BIRTH- 31 July, 1980

SEX: Male

WEIGHT: 3.3 kg

LENGTH: 53.3 cm

HAIR: Black

EYES: Green

PLACE OF BIRTH: Godric's Hollow Hospital

TIME OF BIRTH: 1:43a.m.

OTHER LIVING SIBLINGS: None

MOTHER-

NAME OF MOTHER: Lily Marie Evans-Potter

DATE OF BIRTH: 20 January, 1960

MAGICAL STATUS (WITCH,SQUIB,MUGGLE): Witch

BIRTH STATUS (PUREBLOOD,HALFBLOOD,MUGGLE-BORN): Muggle-born

PLACE OF RESIDENCE: Godric's Hollow

AGE: 20

FATHER-

NAME OF FATHER: James Edward Potter

DATE OF BIRTH: 27 March, 1960

MAGICAL STATUS (WIZARD,SQUIB,MUGGLE): Wizard

BIRTH STATUS (PUREBLOOD,HALFBLOOD,MUGGLE-BORN): Pureblood

PLACE OF RESIDENCE: Godric's Hollow

AGE: 20

ATTENDING MEDIWIZARD(S)/MEDIWITCH(ES): Jeremiah Smythe, Agnes Sheldon

DATE FILED: 31 July, 1980

"They already knew, then," Hermione said. Harry frowned.

"Knew what?" he asked.

"This was filed the day you were born." He shrugged.

"Yeah, and?" he prompted.

"Well, you know how babies are usually born with blue eyes, and they change to the color they're going to be after a while?" Harry nodded. "In the wizarding world, when a baby is born with blue eyes, it just means that the parents are going to have to wait to see if their child has any magical abilities. But, if the baby's eyes are not blue, if they're brown, hazel, or in your case, green, then the parents and medistaff know right away that the baby is a witch or wizard."

Comprehension came to Harry's face. "So _that's_ why Hagrid said what he did when he came to get me for first year!" He saw that Hermione had no idea what he was talking about and explained. "He told Vernon and Petunia that my name had been down for Hogwart's since I was born. My parents knew that I was a wizard already, and wanted me to go to the school they went to." He looked behind them at the clock next to his bed.

"One o'clock! I had better let you get to bed, Hermione." He started to pick up the mess he had made and put the things back into the box. One picture caught Hermione's eye, and she looked more closely at it. Waving to her from the picture were Harry's parents and another couple that looked to be his paternal grandparents. James smiled at her and turned to face Lily. She was extremely pregnant. Hermione picked up the photo and turned it over to see if it had a date. 29 July, 1980.

"This was taken two days before you were born, Harry." He stopped what he was doing and turned to face her. She held up the picture, and he took it, his eyes glued to the image of his family. After a few minutes, Harry gently lay the picture inside the box and closed the lid. He stood, picking up the box and took it over to the bookcase, where he sat it next to his books. He silently returned to Hermione and bent down to pick up Hedwig's cage, which he put on top of the dresser. Then he helped Hermione off the floor, and finally spoke.

"I'd never seen a picture of her from when she was pregnant." Hermione smiled.

"Well, now you can look at them whenever you want to." She wrapped her arms around Harry and hugged him. "I'm glad you're here, Harry," she said, then before she lost her nerve, she tilted her head up and kissed him softly on his lips. Before he could react, she pulled away and left the room, pulling the door closed behind her. Harry stood rooted to the spot for a second.

_**Hermione Granger just kissed me!**_ he thought.

A second voice chimed in, _**You kissed her first.**_

Harry nodded and sat down on the edge of his bed. _**Well, yeah, but that was just a friendly little celebration kiss. I was happy that I get to stay.**_

The other voice seemed to smirk as it quipped, _**You couldn't just dance around the room? You've been wanting to do that for years, and you know it. I mean, remember what happened this afternoon? You saw her breasts! Now tell me you wouldn't give your right arm to see that again. And probably your left to be able to kiss her as well.**___Harry felt himself start to stiffen and his hand moved of its own accord to stroke the bulge under his shorts. He wrenched it away.

_**NO! I cannot do this here!**_

The other voice sounded like it was laughing as it replied, _**Why not? You know you want to, and you've been doing it at school and at the Dursley's ever since Hermione was recovering from the polyjuice potion.**_ Harry stood up and walked around the room, trying desperately to rid himself of his erection.

_**This is Hermione's **_**aunt's **_**home! Besides, what if someone heard me? And what would Hermione think if she knew I've been wanking off to thoughts of her since second year? And why am I not having these thoughts about Ginny? **_**She**_** was my girlfriend, not Hermione.**_ He ran his hands through his hair.

_**Come on, Harry. We both know that you've wanted Hermione longer than you've even been **_**thinking**_** about wanting Ginny. We both know you're quiet. And we both know there's a lock on that door. Laura and Hermione both said to feel free to use it if you ever felt you needed to. You need to now. Come on...**_

Realizing the voice was right, he turned and strode over to the door, clicking the lock into place, and turned off the lights.

_**That's my boy,**_ the voice said as Harry removed his shirt and lay down on the bed.

_**Do me a favor,**_ he thought as he pulled himself out of his shorts. _**Shut up and let me do this my way.**_ He started stroking slowly, remembering his fantasy of it being Hermione's body wrapped around his penis, not his hand. It wasn't hard, he had been doing it for years now. Picturing her magnificent breasts, which he now had actual knowledge of, having seen them, Harry moved his hand faster, using precum to lubricate his grip. His breathing became labored and when he felt his orgasm getting close, he slowed his pace. Letting go of his cock to lightly stroke it with the tips of his fingers, Harry wondered if maybe this summer, Hermione would think of him as more than a friend. Maybe as a sexual partner.

The mere thought of that drove him crazy, and he gripped his rod, pumping faster than before, gasping as he passed over the extremely sensitive spot just under the head. Soon, he could no longer control his breathing and was whispering Hermione's name over and over. His orgasm was almost on top of him and he turned his head into the pillow to stifle the groan he couldn't contain as it hit. Harry's hips bucked as thick streams of cum shot onto his legs, stomach, chest and face. His breathing slowed after a few minutes, and he got up off the bed to clean himself up.

As he passed the door, he stopped short. He thought someone had just been walking past. Oh, God! What if they had heard him? He was in for it in the morning if that were so. Devoutly hoping he had been imagining it, he entered the bathroom, flipped on the light, and studied himself in the mirror. He was a mess. He had gotten it in his hair and he had the silly thought that he resembled a strudle. Only one thing for it, then. He removed his glasses and stripped off his shorts, turned on the water, and stepped into the shower.

Hermione leaned heavily against her door. Oh, Merlin, oh, Merlin, oh, Merlin! She put her hand to her chest, her heart pounding as if she had just run a marathon. Harry Potter was masturbating in his bedroom! The water in his shower turned on and she stepped away from the door. She figured he 'did' do things like that, after all he was a sixteen-year-old boy. She just never thought she would be overhearing him making himself... She went over to her bed and lay down, feeling the familiar tingle in her lower body. She thought about what she had just heard.

She had changed into her pajamas after leaving Harry's room and then gone downstairs to get a glass of ice water. When she had come back up ten minutes later, she had stopped outside his door, hearing him breathing heavily. She knew he had been tired and assumed that he had gone straight to sleep and was now having a nightmare. She reached out to open the door, but stopped as she heard him gasp. She lowered her hand, thinking he must have woken himself up, and was about to continue on to her room, but something made her wait. Harry's heavy breathing had started again, followed soon by a stifled moan. She froze on the spot.

The moan hadn't been one of pain or fear, but one of absolute pleasure! She heard him panting for a few minutes, then get up out of his bed. Fear of being discovered ran through her and she hurried to her room, closing the door quietly behind her. By now the tingle had turned into a wetness that increased the ache between her legs, and she slid her hand inside her pajama bottoms, and between her slick folds. She gasped as her fingers, still cold from the ice she had put into her water, touched her clit. Hermione stroked it, falling into her favorite fantasy of it being Harry's fingers touching her, sliding in and out of her wet tunnel. Harry's fingers also pinching and teasing her erect nipples. She now threw in the new fantasy that included the view she had had of Harry's body that afternoon and the sound of him pleasuring himself.

Her fingers flew faster and faster between her hole and clit, and she was softly moaning Harry's name, her desire to come becoming desperate. To help it along, she arched her back, pushing her clit harder against her fingers. She finally fell over the edge, one orgasm following another, over and over, until her clit was so sensitive, she could no longer touch it without fairly flying off the bed. She heard the water shut off in Harry's shower and after a minute to calm herself, she got up and went into her own bathroom to clean herself up. When she had finished, she climbed back into her bed, and the last thing that went through her mind as she fell asleep, was about Harry and the summer ahead of them, and maybe she would be able to turn her fantasy into a reality.


	4. Breakfast

Harry Potter And The Summer Of Surprise-Chapter 4

Breakfast

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter

The next morning, Harry walked into the kitchen, and saw Hermione sitting at the table, eating a bowl of cereal. She jumped up from her seat as he entered.

"Good morning! What do you want for breakfast?" Harry shook his head.

"You don't have to make me breakfast," he said.

"You're my guest, Harry. I think it would be rude for me not to." Harry followed her to the cupboards, where she turned to face him expectantly.

"I'm going to be here for the whole summer, Hermione. I don't want you to think of me as your guest, I want to pull my weight around here. I can make my own breakfast."

Hermione nodded and replied, "How about this? I make your breakfast, and you can buy my lunch?" Harry was confused. "Aunt Laura is taking us shopping when she gets home. She wants to get you a birthday present." The confused look left his face, only to be replaced by a bashful one.

"I don't need anything for my birthday. Your aunt offered me a place to stay for the summer, that's enough for me." Hermione crossed her arms.

"But, if you _insist_ on making me breakfast..." She nodded, and he looked over to the table where her bowl still sat. "What did you have? Corn flakes?" She nodded again as he turned to face her now. "I'll have that, then." He laughed as Hermione swatted him on his arm.

"Harry! You can do better than that!" Harry tapped one finger against his chin.

"All right, what do I want for breakfast? How about scrambled eggs and toast?" She smiled at him.

"That's better," she said and opened the fridge to take out the eggs and butter. She moved to the counter to get out a bowl and said turning back to him, "Now you go sit down, and I'll bring it to you." He turned to do so, and she did a double take as she realized what she was seeing. On the frame and earpiece of his glasses, was a small amount of his dried semen.

She turned around to the counter again and said, "Harry?" She had to stop for a minute, trying to stop herself from laughing, but knew he was still standing behind her, waiting for her to continue. "There's something on your glasses," she finally added.

She heard his slight gasp a second later and knew he had found it. The water in the sink started another second after that, and she glanced over at him. The back of his neck was crimson with embarrassment. She turned back to the bowl to hide her grin, and cracked five eggs into it, beating them with a fork. She moved over to the stove, in the corner at a ninety degree angle from the sink and poured them into a skillet, left there from the night before when she had been helping dry the dishes. She turned the burner on and pulled a spatula out of the drawer next to her.

The water shut off and he moved behind her reaching for the towel that hung on a hook in the corner. The front of his body brushed against her back as he pulled it down and the familiar heat flowed briefly from her breasts to between her legs. She closed her eyes, and felt him move away too soon for her liking.

Hermione drew in a shuddering breath and asked him as she opened the breadbox, "White, brown or raisin toast, Harry?" She turned to face him. Fortunately, he had returned to his normal color, or she would have lost it, and then would have had to explain that she had been in the hall the night before.

He still seemed distracted as he replied softly, "Brown, please." She turned around and he watched her continue making his eggs. _**Why didn't I see that last night? It was in my hair, for Godric's sake, of course it was on my **_**glasses****!**_** Dear God, I hope whichever one was in the hall **__**didn't**__** hear me, I would be completely **_**mortified!**__He came back to reality as Hermione set his eggs and toast in front of him and handed him a fork.

She returned to her seat and watched him take a small bite of the eggs. He seemed to like them and she started to finish her now soggy cereal. She had only just finished the last few bites when he set his fork on the now empty plate.

"Holy cricket, Harry! Were you hungry or something?" He stood, picking up the plate and held out his hand for her bowl.

"You're just a very good cook, Hermione." He gestured for her to give him the bowl. She drank the dregs of milk and handed it over. Harry carried the dishes over to the sink and set them inside it. He looked around for a minute before asking her where the dish soap was.

"Under the sink." She stood up. "But Harry, you are not going to do the dishes." He looked at her, and before he could argue, she picked up the discarded towel from the table and threw it at him. It hit him square in the chest, and he caught it as it started to fall. "You can dry." Harry grinned and moved aside.

"Then get over here and give me something to dry, then." She came to stand next to him, plugged the drain, squirted a small amount of soap and started the water. He turned to gather up the other things to be washed and handed them to her, taking the bowl that she had washed. They finished the dishes quickly and were sitting at the table when Laura came in.

"Are you guys ready to go?" They both nodded and stood.

"I just have to get my bag." Hermione said and ran upstairs to her room. Harry and Laura walked out into the hall to wait for her.

"I just wanted to thank you again for letting me stay." Laura waved off his gratitude.

"I wasn't going to have my niece's best friend sleeping on the streets, Harry. Besides, you give her someone to talk to other than and old lady like me." They both laughed.

With her curly blonde hair and blue eyes, she didn't look a day over twenty, if she was even that, and Harry said so. She put one arm around him in a hug and thanked him as Hermione came back down the stairs.

"Ready," she said, and they headed out the door.


	5. A Whole New Wardrobe

Harry Potter And The Summer Of Surprise-Chapter 5

A Whole New Wardrobe

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter.

"No, no, no, Harry!" Hermione laughed. Harry held a gaudy printed shirt up to his chest.

"Why not? Don't you think it's me?" He turned to face the mirror behind him. "Ugh! You're right." He put the hideous thing back on the rack and followed Hermione and Laura to the swimsuits. Hermione had told him on their trek through the department store that she went swimming on a regular basis, and wanted him to join her. He had told her he wasn't the best swimmer in the world, and she had offered to help him. He had finally relented, the same way he had when he had been told that this shopping excursion was to get him some clothes that actually fit him so he could throw away Dudley's old rags.

The three of them carried the bags they had accumulated, Harry feeling slightly embarrassed that his best friend's aunt was willing to buy him a whole new wardrobe, without even thinking of how much it was costing her. She had wagged her finger at him, warning that if he didn't let her do this, she would have Hermione hex him. He had finally agreed, not wanting to risk Hermione's wrath.

He knew that until his birthday, 'he' wasn't allowed to use magic outside of the school, but she was already seventeen, and at any rate, he wasn't taking any chances. The only student that Harry had taught in Dumbledore's Army that learned all of the hexes, curses and repellant spells faster than Hermione had been Neville Longbottom, who was one of the most inept and forgetful students in their year. Any hex or curse that she could put on him would leave marks not easily explained to the Muggle public.

But, he had to admit, this had also been fun. He had never had anyone buy clothes for him and had been greatly amused to watch Hermione go through the racks, finding things that he actually _liked_. He absently looked through the rack in front of him.

_**Did you give in to shut her up, or because you wanted to see her in her bikini?**_ The other voice was back.

_**You again,**_ Harry groaned inwardly. _**You know, I **_**was**_** almost caught last night, no thanks to you.**_ The voice snickered.

_**But you felt better, didn't you?**_ it replied dismissively. Harry wished this voice was a real person. He so wanted to punch it dead in the face. He changed the subject.

_**Anyway, I don't even know that Hermione even **_**has**_** a bikini.**_

The voice sounded smug as it said, _**If not, she will soon. Look up.**_

Harry did so and saw his friend holding a flimsy little scrap of aquamarine fabric. She was still going through the rack as well. She picked out three more just like it and headed to the women's changing rooms.

_**Oh, Merlin. How am I going to get through a day in a public pool with her dressed in **_**that**_**?**_ Harry thought, turning his eyes back to the rack, flipping through it for a few more minutes.

"Do you need any help?" Harry jumped, dropping the bags he was holding on the floor. The sales woman next to him chuckled. "Sorry," she said. "Didn't mean to startle you." Harry knelt down and picked them back up.

"That's alright," he said. "I'm really just looking, though." She took in his hair and eye color, then reached into the rack, pulling out a pair of deep forest green racing trunks.

"I think this would be your best color." she said, then leaned in closer to him to add in a whisper, "And it'll drive your girlfriend crazy." She inclined her head to indicate behind him. Harry looked over his shoulder and saw Hermione had come out of the fitting rooms and was now paying for the suits she had just tried on.

"Oh, she's not my girlfriend," he said turning back to face the woman. "She's just a friend that I'm staying with for the summer." The woman looked to Hermione, then held out the suit to Harry and smiled warmly.

"Well, if she isn't yet, I'll bet she is by the end of the summer, then." Harry took the suit and she moved away to help other customers. He looked down at the garment in his hands.

_**It'll drive her crazy, huh?**_ he thought, and a sly grin came over his face. He grabbed three regular suits in his favorite colors and headed to the men's changing rooms. He emerged a few minutes later and headed over to the nearest cashier to keep Hermione from seeing what he was buying. He handed the racing suit to the woman from earlier and she smiled at him.

"Could you put it in one of these bags? I don't want her to know I have it yet," he said

"Going to tease her, are you?" He looked over his shoulder, seeing that Hermione was deep in conversation with Laura and was not paying the least bit of attention to his actions.

"Oh, yeah," he replied, turning back to her with a smile of his own. He handed over the money and she gave him his reciept with the suit. "Thank you." He buried the article in the middle of his new clothes. Harry walked over to Hermione and Laura with the other three suits.

"Harry! There you are. We were just about to send out a search party," Laura said to him. "Did you find anything you like?" Harry held up the suits.

"I'm all set." They paid for his items. They then headed to the dresses near the exit where Hermione stopped to look at a few of the discounted items. Harry, a sneaky thought in his head, excused himself.

"Where are you going?" Hermione asked.

"Loo," he lied back over his shoulder. He doubled back to the men's underwear department, heading immediately to a table that held a display of bikini briefs, which Hermione had teased him with when he was choosing his underwear earlier. He had blushed and turned away, choosing boxers instead. He picked out the exact pair she had teased him with and took it to the cashier.

Five minutes later, with his new purchase tucked safely in with the swimsuit, Harry returned to the others. Hermione stood with her back to him, holding up a shimmering gold minidress. He held a finger to his lips, and Laura gave him a little smile to show she understood.

Harry tiptoed up behind Hermione and standing almost against her, said quietly in her ear, "That would look fabulous on you." She shrieked, throwing the dress in the air. She spun and smacked Harry on the back of his head as he was doubled over with laughter. Laura picked up the dress and handed it back to her niece.

Harry straightened up and said, "It would, you know." Hermione looked at the dress, then back at him.

"You think so?" Laura moved to stand next to Harry.

"I've told her the same thing, but she won't listen to me. Maybe you can talk her into buying it." Harry took the dress from her and turned her to the full length mirror. He held it up in front of her. She guaged the effect of the dress against her skin and hair, then took one side of the hanger, looking at Harry's reflection as he stood behind her. Her breath caught in her throat. His normally bright emerald eyes had gone smoky and sultry in his reflection. He released the side of the hanger he was holding.

_**If it affects him this much on the hanger, I wonder what it would do if it were on **_**me**_**.**_ She made up her mind and took the dress to pay for it and then returned to the others.

Laura looked at her watch. "Six already! Who's hungry?" Harry's stomach growled loudly. He brought one hand up to cover his face in embarrassment. Laura and Hermione laughed. "That makes me and Harry," Laura chuckled, and Harry lowered his hand, giving them a sheepish grin.

"I am, too," Hermione giggled. "Then let's get out of here and get some food!" They headed out the door and to the food court, where they looked around at the booths. "Nothing sounds too appetizing. What do you two want?" Laura asked.

"Chinese." Hermione answered. "Oh, that _does_ sound good. Harry?" He looked unsure.

"I don't know. I've never eaten Chinese food before." He looked around. "And there doesn't seem to be a Chinese booth here." Laura grinned.

"No, but there's a terrific little restaurant just around the corner from here. Let's go."


	6. Conversations And Making Beds

Harry Potter And The Summer Of Surprise-Chapter 6

Conversation Over Chinese Food & Making Beds

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter.

Harry stared at his menu. He didn't know what nine-tenths of these foods were.

_**What is chow mein? Crab ran-**_**what**_**? **_Hermione touched his arm and smiled when he looked over at her.

"I don't know what any of this stuff is, Hermione. How am I supposed to order something if I don't know what it is? For all I know, this could be crab spawn." He pointed to an item on his menu. She looked at it.

"Crab rangoon. It's a deep fried dumpling filled with a crab and cream cheese mixture. Don't worry, Harry. Aunt Laura or I can order for you if you want." Laura nodded, and Harry relaxed against the back of the bench seat.

"Thank you. I wasn't kidding when I said that I had never eaten Chinese food before. Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon never took me to eat anywhere. Just Dudley. I was sent to Mrs. Figg's." The waitress came over to their table.

"Laura! I haven't seen you in ages! How are you?" Laura stood and hugged the woman.

"I'm great, Mei Wu. Just been really busy at the bank. You remember my niece, Hermione?" Mei Wu hugged Hermione who had also stood up.

"You've grown! The last time I saw you, you were this high." She held her hand level with the top of the table.

"You always say that," Hermione laughed as she and Laura sat back down. "Mei Wu, this is a friend of mine from school, Harry Potter. Harry, Mei Wu Ming." Harry extended his hand and shook Mei Wu's.

"So you are the boy I'm always hearing about from Hermione when she and Laura come in. I think she really _likes_ you." Harry saw Hermione blush slightly out of the corner of his eye. "What can I get for you?" Laura looked down at her menu.

"Well, as this is the first time that Harry is going to eat Chinese food, we don't want to get something that will turn him off to it forever. I think we should get an appetizer first." Hermione looked at her own menu. "How about the Pu Pu platter?" Harry had to struggle not to start laughing.

"O.K. What else?" Mei Wu wrote it down. Hermione ordered something called sesame chicken for him and General Tso's chicken for herself. Laura ordered duck with plum sauce. Mei Wu walked off to the kitchen to put their order in, and Harry, no longer able to stop himself, burst out laughing. Hermione and Laura stared at him as he put his forehead down and slapped the tabletop a few times with one hand.

"What's so funny, Harry?" Laura asked.

"Pu Pu platter!" Harry was finally able to gasp out. He sat back up in his seat, still in hysterics. "That's hilarious!" Hermione and Laura grinned at each other. Of course, Harry, never having heard of the dish, let alone eaten it, would think the name funny. He used his napkin to wipe the tears of mirth from his eyes. He was finally able to get control of himself just as Mei Wu brought a large plate and three saucers to their table.

Harry examined it closely as it was set in the middle. There were several different foods in it, and Hermione picked one out and placed it on a saucer, setting it in front of him. He stared at it, then poked it. Laura snorted.

"_That's_ a crab rangoon, Harry. Try it." He picked it up and sniffed it cautiously, then took a little nibble. His green eyes widened. This thing was good! He quickly ate the rest, and looked back at the plate in the center. He chose something that he knew to be an eggroll. He had never eaten one of course, but he had rang a lot of them out at the store. He bit off half of it and while he was still chewing, Hermione put another item on his saucer. Harry looked down and saw some sort of meat on a thin stick. He lay the eggroll aside and pulled the stick out of the meat. It looked to be beef, and when he took a tentative bite, he was relieved to find that it was. He popped the rest in his mouth and retrieved the eggroll.

Hermione watched him in amazement. He swallowed the beef and inhaled the rest of the eggroll. She nibbled on her BBQ sparerib and put one in front of him. It, too, disappeared in one bite. She almost choked.

"Harry! There _is_ more food coming, trust me!" She turned to Laura. "I wonder if he would eat this fast if we took him to our favorite French restaurant. We could order him the escargots." Harry turned his head slowly towards her, a look of horror in his green eyes.

"No way! I know what _that_ is. And I am _not_ eating _snails_!" He looked at the plate again and picked up a triangle shaped item that appeared to be a small piece of toast. He leaned towards her and said, "Two questions. One- What was that on the stick, and two- what is this?" Hermione laughed.

"He doesn't even know what he's eating, and he's making it disappear faster than a snowball in August!" She turned in her seat to face him.

"Two answers and one statement. One- the thing on the stick was satay beef, and two- that is shrimp toast." He popped it into his mouth. She and Laura laughed. "Now for the statement. The only person I have seen eat faster than you just did, is Ron! Did you even taste it, or just swallow it whole?" Harry swallowed the toast.

"You want me to eat faster? I can, you know. I've always had to, anyway. If I didn't, Dudley would nick half of my food, and Aunt Petunia would let him. I get it, though. You want me to slow down." Laura frowned.

"Harry..." Mei Wu inturrupted with their orders, and when she had set them down, Laura and Hermione quickly turned the three different plates into three of the same. Hermione placed one in front of him and he eyed it curiously.

"O.K. What am I about to eat now?"

Laura leaned across the booth and pointing to each one, said, "Sesame chicken, (_**Light brown sauce with sesame seeds**_ Harry tought.) General Tso's chicken, (_**Red**_ _**sauce and pepper flakes**_) and duck with plum sauce. (_**I was wondering what that purple stuff was!**_)" He took a bite of the duck first and moaned with pure delight. Hermione giggled. He tried the other two, they were just as good. When it had been confirmed- Harry Potter Loves Chinese Food- Laura tried again.

"Harry, why did you go back there, year after year, when they treated you so badly?" Harry swallowed the bite in his mouth.

"I had to." She shook her head.

"You didn't have to, Harry. There are laws..." Hermione stopped her with a hand on her arm.

"He _did_ have to. His mother was his aunt's sister. It's their blood connection that kept him safe when he was there."

Harry put down his fork as Laura said, "But someone should have seen how you'd been treated! They made you sleep in a cupboard for ten years!" This time it was Harry's hand that stopped her.

"If anyone knew how I was being treated, they would've taken me out of there. Then I would've been completely unprotected." He looked around the almost empty restaurant and then at Hermione. "Did you tell her about..." He lowered his voice and looked around again. "You-Know-Who?" Hermione nodded, her eyes shining with tears.

"That's why he had to go back. He's safe with us until his birthday, because Proffesor McGonagall put a box in Harry's trunk." Laura looked confused, and a little teary as well. "It contained the same wards that blocked his whereabouts when he was at the Dursley's, and was activated when he opened the lid." Laura's face lit up.

"Then as long as he has the box, he'll be safe wherever he goes, right? Even when he graduates school next summer?" Harry shook his head.

"I don't think it works like that. Most likely the wards will fail on my birthday." He picked up his fork again. "Can we not talk about this anymore? I'd like to be able to finish eating." He returned to his food, and casting a slightly watery smile at each other, Hermione and Laura did the same.

Hermione strode through the hall into the kitchen, leaving Harry and Laura standing confused at the bottom of the stairs. They exchanged looks as they heard a cabinet door slam and she returned, a small plastic bundle in one hand. She started up the stairs, turning in the middle to see them still at the bottom.

"Are you coming, or not?" They started after her and headed into Harry's room when they reached the top. He saw her standing by his dresser.

"Put those down and come here." She indicated the bags he was holding. He did as he was ordered. Laura set down the rest of the bags and headed back downstairs as the phone started ringing. Hermione pulled part of her bundle off and set the rest down, snapping out a large garbage bag. She handed it to Harry and pulled open the top dresser drawer, gathered the clothes into her arms and turned to face him again. He grinned, getting the idea, and held out the bag so she could shove the clothes into it.

When it was full they tied it and opened another. They filled three and had started a fourth before they were finished. They carried the full ones downstairs and out to the side yard. Hermione opened the door to a small shed attached to the house and they threw the bags into it.

"Good riddance to _extremely_ bad rubbish." she said, closing the door and dusting her hands together. They returned to the house and to their respective bedrooms to put their purchases away. Harry emptied the bags on his bed and started removing the tags and folding his new clothes. He put the shirts and pants away, then started on his socks. He came upon the swimsuit and the briefs, and looked over his shoulder to the door. He walked over and shut it quietly. He picked up the garments and hurriedly shoved them into the bottom drawer under his new shirts.

_**Maybe I'll get to wear one of them this summer,**_ he thought to himself, sitting down on his bed with his new tennis shoes.

_**You wish **_**both**_** of them, though, don't you?**_ Harry started lacing one of his shoes.

_**You were awfully quiet after the bit in the store and throughout dinner. What? No comments on how badly I wanted to be in the changing rooms with her when she tried on those skimpy little bikinis? Nothing on how I want to eat Hermione the way I was eating my food?**_ The voice chuckled.

_**Now that you mention it... **_Harry dropped the shoe on the floor.

_**Shut up! Just shut up! Do you always have to throw in your two bits?**_

_**Why don't you ever act on some of these feelings? **_The voice snorted. Harry shook his head.

_**I think more highly of Hermione than that! Besides, she'd kick my lily-white ass out on the curb if I tried, don't you know that?**_

The voice replied in a smug tone, _**Of course I do. I'm part of**_ **you.**

Harry froze in place for a second, then dropped his forehead into his hands, his elbows resting on his knees. If this voice was a part of him, that meant that all these thoughts about her...were coming from him! He picked up the shoe and finished lacing it. He had just finished the other, when a knock sounded at the door.

"Come in." Hermione stuck her head into the room. Harry felt himself start to blush, remembering all the things that had been going through his head for the last day and a half.

"Are you done already?" she asked.

"Almost. I still have to put away my pajamas and..." He blushed furiously. "Underwear," he finished almost under his breath.

"Well, forget about that for the time being. Aunt Laura wants to talk to the both of us and she sent me up to get you." Harry stood and followed her downstairs, thinking the whole time, what Laura wanted to talk to them about. He fervently hoped it wasn't about the night before. That Laura hadn't been the one to pass his room. He blushed, thinking also that if it hadn't been Laura, it would have been Hermione, then.

_**Oh, I hope I **_**was**_** imagining things.**_ They entered the living room.

"Sit down, you two. There's something we need to talk about," said Laura when she saw them. Harry sat down next to Hermione on the couch, feeling slightly apprehensive.

_**Oh, no,**_ he thought, Here it comes. _**But she wouldn't bring it up in front of Hermione, would she?**_ Laura sat across from them on the loveseat.

"I was just talking to Diana again. She says that her daughter was going to be coming a little sooner than we thought. We had originally planned for the middle of next month, but she's broken up with her boyfriend and Diana wants her to come now." Harry turned to face Hermione when she snorted next to him.

"Another boyfriend? How many does that make this year? Three?" Harry looked back at Laura now.

"Fourth, but that's not the important thing at this moment. The important thing is that the boy she broke up with is spreading rumors about her. That she's been stalking him, calling his house at all hours of the night, and that she was trying to force him to sleep with her. Diana wants her to leave soon, just to get her away from the headaches." Hermione shifted in her seat uncomfortably.

"When is she going to be here?" she asked.

"Some time next week. That's all Diana could tell me. They'll let us know when they've made the arrangements." Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Has she changed the way she dresses?" Laura shook her head. _**Great**_ thought Hermione. _**Now she'll have half the boys in the neighborhood slobbering over her. Probably **_**Harry**_** as well!**_ Harry, who had relaxed when he realized he wasn't about to be thoroughly embarrassed, raised his hand tentatively.

"Yes, Harry?" Laura said, amused at his show of school manners.

"Where's she going to sleep?" he asked.

"Where she always sleeps. The _purple_ bedroom. Should we get it ready for her now?" Hermione said. Laura nodded, and her niece stood up. "Might as well get it over with, then." She left the room. Harry and Laura stared after her and listened to her footsteps up the stairs.

"Doesn't Hermione like her cousin?" Harry asked as he stood up to follow Laura out of the room.

"It's not that, Harry. She loves her, but... Well, you'll see when she gets here." They headed up the stairs and down past his and Hermione's rooms to a door at the far end of the hallway, which Harry had thought was a linen closet. He walked into the room and looked around for Hermione. He found her over by the bed putting a lavender pillowcase on one of the pillows.

"Harry, if you'll do the dusting, I'll get some towels for the bathroom." Laura said from the doorway before turning back the way they'd come.

"How many bathrooms does this house _have_?" Harry whispered as he caught the rag Hermione tossed to him.

"One for each bedroom and one off the sitting room. The door over by the piano." He walked around the room, dusting the chair in the corner, the dresser, desk, wardrobe and then moved over behind Hermione to dust the wood on the bed. He touched her side to let her know he was there, and she moved over to allow him access to the headboard.

Leaning over, he reached as far as he could on this side and was just about to straighten up when he felt her brush up against him. They both froze in place for a second, then Hermione yanked her arm out from underneath him.

"Sorry, Harry," she said, flushing slightly.

"It's O.K. It was an accident." He smiled at her and walked around to the other side of the bed, thinking, _**Hermione touched my penis! Granted it was completely by accident, but still, a touch is a touch! **_ He finished the headboard and moved to help her make the bed. Hermione snapped out the flat sheet and the two of them started tucking it under the mattress.

"Hermione," Harry began. She looked up at him. "What have you got against your cousin? I mean, she can't be anywhere as bad as Dudley." She looked back down and smoothed her side of the sheet into a perfect hospital corner.

"I don't have anything against _her_, Harry. It's just the way she acts before she thinks, and doesn't stop to consider the consequences, first." She moved to his side to help with his corner. He stepped back, allowing her room to move.

"Sounds like a normal teenager to me."

They spread the hyacinth comforter over the bed and Harry looked around the room as Hermione started to lay the pillows at the head. Laura came into the room just as she was finishing and put the towels in the bathroom.

"I can certainly see why this room is called the purple bedroom," he said. Plum carpet under their feet, soft iris wallpaper, even the vanity was a shade of twilight.

"It's my cousin's favorite color. That's why she always stays in this room when she visits," Hermione answered him. Laura came out of the the bathroom, looked at the bed and then around at the rest of the room.

"That's going to have to do for now. I'm tired. See you in the morning. Good-night, Hermione...Harry." She headed to her bedroom. Harry followed Hermione out into the hall and watched as she walked to the wall at the far end and pressed a spot at elbow level. The wall slid outward with a quiet click and she entered the space behind it. She stepped back out a few seconds later, a pink bundle in her hands. She pushed the wall back into place, began walking back towards Harry and entered her room.

"Do you need any help?" he asked as she started to shut the door.

"If you want to." She stood back to allow him entry into her bedroom.

"This looks _exactly_ like a Hermione bedroom," he said, looking around at the different shades of pink. Hermione smiled, turned, pulled the comforter off the bed and threw it in Harry's general direction. It landed on top of his head and fell to cover his front, head to foot. He heard Hermione's giggle a second later.

"Sorry about that, Harry."

He felt her start to pull the blanket off and then fell into him as it caught under one of her feet. They landed on the floor together, Hermione on top of Harry. She laughed and after uncovering his head, got up on her knees, and reached to grab hold of the blanket again. Harry froze instantly, and she soon realized why. She had taken hold of the section of blanket directly over his crotch! Her hand was now lying flat on top of his penis again. She sat there, not moving, until she felt Harry shift uncomfortably underneath her. She blushed crimson when she realized he was starting to get hard! She pulled back her hand and scrambled off his legs as if she had been burned.

"Sorry, Harry. I did it again, didn't I?" Harry untangled himself from the comforter and stood up.

"It's O.K., Hermione. It was another accident." He handed her the blanket and leaned closer to her. She felt her jaw drop as he whispered into her ear, "Maybe sometime soon, I'll get the chance to feel _you_ up." When he pulled back and grinned, she was relieved to see that he had been kidding, but also disappointed.

Of course Harry wouldn't be interested in her that way. He had been dating Ginny Weasley during their sixth year. She had been trying to hide her interest in Harry by making it seem as if she had wanted Ron instead. But that had been very difficult considering that Ron had been in a constant state of liplock with Lavender Brown.

So Hermione had sulked and pouted, looking as if she was jealous of Lavender, when she really wanted Harry all along. But in the end, he had kissed Ginny, not her. She had put on a happy smile, when inside she was crying. They finished making her bed and said good-night to each other.

Harry headed to his room, thinking about what he had said earlier. He had only been half kidding. He would _love_ to have the chance to feel Hermione up. But, disappointingly, she didn't like him that way. He closed his door and stripped off his clothes, which he threw into the remaining garbage bag. He stood, naked, at the end of his bed and chose a pair of pajamas. He put them on and put the rest of his clothes away. He turned off the light and slid into bed.

His last thought before he fell asleep was again about Hermione and all the other thoughts that he had been having about her over the last 36 hours.


	7. Surprise By The Pool

Harry Potter And The Summer Of Surprise- Chapter 7

Surprise By The Pool

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter.

Hermione knocked softly on Harry's door the next morning. When she recieved no answer, she opened it slightly.

"Harry?"

She looked hesitantly around the edge of his door, and saw that he was in bed, still asleep. She pushed the door open fully and stepped over to his bed. He let out a soft moan and turned his face into his pillow. Hermione bit her lower lip and toyed with the sash that tied her beach coverup. She was about to reach out to shake his shoulder, when something caught her eye. She looked down the sheets covering Harry's front and let out a tiny gasp. There was a slowly spreading wet spot on the sheet, which had a definite _tent_ to it. She grinned.

_**Harry just had a **_**wet dream**_**!**_ she thought, and a sly little idea followed it. _**Later, Hermione**_ she reprimanded herself. She waited a minute to compose herself, then leaned over to shake him awake.

"Harry, time to wake up." His eyes fluttered open and he looked up at her.

"Hermione?" he asked groggily, "What time is it?" She looked at the clock behind him.

"About half nine."

Harry sat up running his hands through his black hair. He froze when he saw the spot on his lap. He glanced at Hermione out of the corner of his eye, turning red with embarrassment.

"Um, Hermione? Could you give me a few minutes?" She nodded and quickly left the room, closing the door to give him privacy. Harry reached over and picked up his glasses from the nightstand. When they were on his nose, he looked down at his lap again.

_**She saw that.**_ Harry nodded.

_**Do you think she was grossed out?**_

His other voice seemed to think for a second before replying, _**Maybe.**_ Harry groaned out loud, burying his face in his hands. _**But she didn't run screaming and gagging from the room, did she? She waited until you asked her to leave.**_

Harry got up and stripped the bedclothes off the mattress. He shoved them into the hamper just inside the bathroom door and removing his cum soaked pajamas, added them as well.

When he had cleaned himself up and done his usual morning bathroom routine, he went to his closet and pulled out his new bathrobe. He put it on as he moved through the room, knotting it at his waist before opening the door. He found Hermione standing against the wall across from him. He moved back to let her in.

"I'm sorry you had to see that, Hermione." She shook her head, waving him off.

"Don't worry about it, Harry. You're a sixteen-year-old boy. It's perfectly normal for that to happen to you. Don't give it another thought." Harry was astonished. Hermione wasn't repulsed at all?

"It doesn't bother you?" he asked. She smiled and shook her head.

"Why should it? Now, about the reason I came in here to begin with." Harry cocked his head to one side.

"I thought it was because I had slept too long?" Again she waved him off.

"Nah. It's summer, and we don't have much of a set schedule here. No, the reason I came in here was to ask if you want to go swimming? It's a perfect day for it." Harry smiled.

"Sure. Just let me get changed first." Hermione left the room again.

"I'll see you downstairs," she said.

Harry closed the door and went to his dresser. He opened the drawer and pulled out a pair of black trunks.

_**How about the **_**green**_** suit?**_ his other voice asked. Harry ignored it, shucked off his robe and pulled on the suit. _**Pussy!**_ He turned and looked at the bed.

_**I really should make the bed first**_ he thought.

_**You really should grow some **_**balls**_**!**_

Harry, continuing to ignore the voice, left his room, headed to the end of the hall at the top of the stairs, and ran his hand over the wall around the area he had seen Hermione touch the night before. He felt a small indentation and pressed it lightly. A small click sounded and the wall swung out toward him. He looked around it and saw a string hanging in the darkness inside the area. Harry pulled it and the linen closet lit up in front of him.

"Cool!" Harry said, entering the room. The shelf almost at his shoulder level bore a label that read, 'Pink Room'. He looked up at the shelf just above eye level, which read, 'Blue Room'. He looked down at the lower shelves and right below the pink shelf was one labled, 'Green Room'. He picked out a set of pale green sheets, turned off the light and pushed the wall back into place as he stepped back out into the hall. He went back into his room and made the bed in less than five minutes.

He was just about to pull shorts and a t-shirt out of his dresser, when he heard a loud splash from the back yard. He looked out the window and was amazed at the size of the yard. It was more than three times the size of his aunt and uncle's, and in the middle of the vast green, was an Olympic size swimming pool, complete with low and high diving boards. He watched as Hermione swam under the rippling surface of the water to the ladder on the side, which she used to climb out of the pool. She made her way to the deck chairs about twenty feet from the edge, tossed the coverup she'd been wearing earlier aside and lay a towel across one of the chairs before lying down on her back.

Harry's breath caught in his throat. Her suit left very little to the imagination. The tiny scraps of the top looked as if she breathed too hard, they would disintegrate. The bottom had enough fabric to maintain decency, but _just _enough. She looked up to see him standing at his window.

"Come on, Harry!" she called, putting on her sunglasses. Harry waved and moved away from the sight of that microscopic swimsuit. The phone rang and Hermione answered it with the cordless phone that sat between the deck chairs. He leaned against the bookcase for a minute, trying to control his breathing and listening to her voice on her side of the conversation, then bolted over to the dresser.

_**What are you doing?**_ his inner voice asked.

_**What do you think I'm doing? I'm giving her a taste of her own medicine, that's what I'm doing.**_

He pulled the green suit out of the bottom drawer.

_**YES! **_**That's**_** what I'm talking about! Go out there and show her what you're made of!**_ Harry switched the suits and looked at his reflection in the full length mirror that stood in one corner. _**TSSSSSSSS! Hermione is not going to know what hit her!**_ Harry chuckled.

_**Thanks**_ he thought. He had to admit, he _did_ look pretty good, just a little pale from lack of sun exposure. He turned and went to the bathroom to grab a towel, but stopped at his bedroom door before heading down. He went back to the dresser and took out a pair of khaki shorts.

**Now**_** what are you doing?**_ The voice sounded indignant as Harry pulled on the shorts over his suit.

_**Calm down. I'm just gonna tease her a little bit.**_

Harry headed downstairs and through the hallway to the kichen, where he saw the patio doors standing open. Hermione was tunning a wireless radio to an all 80's station. The next song that came on was by someone named Chico DeBarge who wanted his girlfriend to talk to him. Harry spread his towel on the other chair and lay down on top of it, leaning back and closing his eyes.

Hermione turned to see him there and pulled her mirrored sunglasses to the tip of her nose, checking Harry's body over. She had never seen this much of him before. Quidditch did this boy good! He was thin and a little malnourished, but underneath the wizard robes, Harry Potter had a _fabulous_ body! She ran her gaze over his abdomen.

_**Oh my God!**_ she thought. _**Harry has a six-pack!**_ She moved her eyes down his long muscular legs, which had very little hair on them. Yummy. She heard a low chuckle and looked at Harry's face to see him watching her checking him out.

"Like what you see?" he asked with an evil grin. Hermione shoved her sunglasses up her nose and snapped her head back around to front. She stood up and walked to the edge of the pool, sitting down and dangling her feet in the water. Harry stood as well, and took off his shorts. He walked around to the shallow end of the pool, where he knew she could see him. He watched her remove her sunglasses as she stared at him and read her lips easily.

_**Oh my God is right, Hermione**_ he thought, sneakily. _**Two can play this little game.**_ He stepped into the water and waded out to waist depth, seeing the disappointment in Hermione's eyes.

"Who was on the phone?" he asked, still moving deeper into the water. Hermione set her sunglasses behind her as Harry came to a stop two feet from her.

"Aunt Laura. She said that she's out with a friend. They're going to have lunch and maybe go to the movies afterwards." She slid into the water. "O.K. Now, let's work on your swimming. If you do well, you'll get a surprise." Harry's eyes lit up as he took off his glasses and lay them as far back from the edge of the pool as he could.

"What surprise?" Hermione smiled.

"If I told you, then it wouldn't be a surprise, now would it? Why don't you show me what you can do?" Harry swam around a little and Hermione corrected him when she saw he was doing something wrong. After about an hour, she stopped the lesson. Harry, who was starting to pant heavily from his workout, was extremely grateful.

"That's enough for today, Harry. I think you've done well enough to deserve your surprise." She climbed the ladder and headed back to the chairs, where she wrapped her towel around her waist. Picking up a tube from the small table, she turned to face Harry, who had followed her and was putting his glasses back on as he dried his hair.

"Could you put some sunblock on my back first?" He took the tube from her and sat down on his chair, dropping his towel into his lap.

"Sit down," he told her. She knelt down facing away from him and pulled her hair over one shoulder. He was just about to apply the cream to her shoulders, when she stopped him.

"Hold on a second." She reached back and untied the strings holding her top in place, letting it fall into her lap. She looked back at him. "Now those won't be in the way." Harry gulped as she turned back around. Hermione smiled to herself. She knew the effect this was having on him. He smoothed the cream easily over her shoulders and upper back, then gently nudged her forward to get her lower back.

"Finished," he said, laying the tube on the table. Hermione stood, pushing her hair back, and turned to face Harry. He stared at her bare breasts for a moment, his eyes darkening to show his arousal, and she reached down pulling the towel from his lap. Harry instinctively leaned forward to hide his state, but Hermione pushed him against the back of the chair once more, and pulled his hands away when they moved to cover himself. She lay them on the arms of the chair as she knelt before him.

"Leave them there." Harry closed his eyes in embarrassment, but they flew open again when he felt Hermione place two fingers of each hand inside the waistband of his suit.

"What are you doing?" She smiled up at him.

"Giving you your surprise. Now relax." She pulled down the front of Harry's suit, releasing his erection. Harry almost flew out of his chair, wanting to run up to his room and lock the door, but Hermione placed one hand on his chest, stopping him from moving. He watched her face, seeing not the repulsion he had expected, but a little bit of wonder and desire mixed together. Hermione stared at this newly exposed part of Harry. She was impressed. He was bigger than than she thought he would be, given his height and build. She reached out to touch him, feeling rather than hearing his shaky breathing when her hand made contact with the satiny skin of his penis. She wrapped her fingers around him and slowly stroked up and down a few times.

"Hermione, please," Harry whispered.

"Please what, Harry?" She looked into his green eyes, which were the same shade now as the night before. He closed them.

"Please don't do this." She stroked him again, more firmly this time, and felt him shudder.

"Why? Don't you like it?" She dipped her head and took him into her mouth. Harry's back arched and his breath caught in his throat.

"Please," he begged. "Please..." His voice let off with a soft moan as Hermione started bobbing her head up and down with a maddeningly slow pace. He reached up and ran his hands through his ebony hair, then down his face. "Why are you doing this to me?" he asked, his speech puncuated with tiny whimpers.

She pulled her mouth off him long enough to answer, "Beacause I want to and because you seem to need it. Now relax." She took him back into her mouth, swallowing him to the hilt this time. Harry's head snapped back. Hermione heard it hit the back of the chair with a sharp crack, and although Harry didn't seem to notice, she winced, causing one of her teeth to lightly rake Harry's skin. He jumped and looked down at her. She looked back at him, her chocolate brown eyes full of apology as she swirled her tongue around the spot she had grazed. Something seemed to occur to Harry, and he started to look around the yard.

Hermione pulled her head back, letting her hand stroke his full length once more. "Harry." He looked back down at her. "No one can see into the yard." She lowered her head again, then looked up at him once more, adding, "And the neighbors are far enough away that they're not going to hear you, either." She licked around the head of his member, her eyes locked with his. She watched them flutter closed and his mouth dropped open when she slid hers back over him. Harry opened his eyes to watch her as she swallowed his length to where her nose was buried in the dark hair around his base. Hermione moved faster, pulling back almost to the point where he fell out of her mouth, then back down again. She heard Harry moan low in his throat, and felt him place his hands on her shoulders.

The urge to cum was getting almost desperate for him. He knew that he was going to explode soon, and apparently so did Hermione, as she pulled her head back again and said, "Don't fight it, Harry, let go." She returned to her task and took hold of his hands, which had moved to the arms of the chair once more. She threaded her fingers through his, pulling their hands down to his sides. He lay back against the chair and moaned loudly. He still wouldn't let himself find his release, though. Hermione pulled back once more.

"Harry." He looked into her eyes. "I _want_ you to cum in my mouth. Please, let it go." This time when she engulfed him, Harry did as he was told. His body stiffened, and with a groan that bordered almost on a scream, he shot what seemed to be a gallon of his cum down her throat. It wasn't a unpleasant flavor, salt, musk and an essence that only Harry could produce. She swallowed every drop, and when he had relaxed, Hermione let him fall out of her mouth, and stood. Harry looked at his spent member, then up at her, still panting.

"Where did you learn to do that?" he gasped. She bent down to pick up her top, putting it back on before answering.

"You think I'm only interested in what I read about first?" she asked, leaning down to gently pull his swimsuit back into place. "I've practiced this for a while. First I started on my wand, then a carrot, then a banana." She straightened back up, adjusting her suit. _**That banana had nothing on **_**you**_**, though**_ she thought. A sound from the front of the house drew Hermione's attention. "Aunt Laura's home." She picked up her discarded coverup and headed into the house.

Harry stood and followed her wondering, _**Who is this girl and what has she done with Hermione?**_

His other voice threw in, _**And if this **_**is**_** Hermione outside of school, maybe you **_**do**_** have a chance.**_

Harry frowned just as he got to the door and replied, _**Oh, bugger off!**_


	8. New Schedules & Hermione's Cousin

Harry Potter And The Summer Of Surprise- Chapter 8

New Schedule and Hermione's Cousin

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter

Harry finished writing his schedule for the week on a slip of paper and tossed the pen back into its basket. He stood reading his hours against the time sheet to make sure he had been right on all the days.

Monday- 7-12, Tuesday- 7-12, Wednesday- 7-12, Thursday- 10-3, Friday- Off, Saturday- Off, Sunday- 10-3. He was confused. Why were his hours so short all of a sudden?

"The weeks are going to be a little slow for a while, Harry." He turned to see Joe, the day manager, standing behind him. "A lot of our customers are on holiday, so they're out of town for a few weeks, but it'll pick up again by the first of August." Harry cleared his throat.

"Joe, I need to change the address that's on all my papers." He picked the pen up and tore off another slip of paper from the pad hanging next to the basket. He wrote Laura's address on it and handed it to Joe. "I'm staying there for the rest of the summer." Joe nodded and pocketed the slip.

"All right, but why aren't you still at your aunt and uncle's?" Harry shook his head.

"You know how my uncle always had a fit about dropping me off in the morning?" Joe nodded. "Well, Friday night, I got a ride with a friend and her aunt, that's the aunt's address that I gave you, and when they invited me to dinner, I called home. No answer. After dinner I tried a few more times. Still no answer, so they took me home and there was a note on the door, saying that my aunt, uncle and cousin had gone on holiday, leaving me with nowhere to stay for the week. My friend's aunt offered to let me stay with them for the rest of the summer." Joe smiled.

"You must have really good friends if their families let you stay for the whole summer." Harry heard his name and turned to see Hermione standing outside the breakroom door. He held up a finger to let her know he'd be just a minute longer. She nodded and walked away. He turned back to see a wide grin on Joe's face.

"What?" he asked.

"Is that the friend?" Harry nodded. The manager's grin got even wider. "Good going, Harry! She's hot!" Harry put his hands on his hips.

"Are you done? It's not like that. Hermione is a really good friend, that's all." An unbelieving look crossed Joe's features.

"Yeah, right. I'll bet you guys don't do 'anything' while her aunt's not home?" Harry blushed slightly remembering earlier in the day. "I 'thought' so!" Joe laughed. Harry turned and stormed out of the breakroom, pulling the swinging door shut behind him. He found Hermione in the pet food aisle. She saw the look on his face.

"What's wrong, Harry?" she asked as she followed him out to Laura's car.

"Nothing." He opened the car door, pulled the seat forward and got into the back. The tone in his voice told her to let it go, and as she got in and shut the door, she shook her head to Laura who looked as if she were going to ask the same question. They pulled out of the parking lot and headed home.

Laura, Hermione and Harry sat around the kitchen table, eating dinner. Harry's mood had improved when they had started cooking the hamburgers on the grill out by the backdoor and he was completely back to normal when they had sat down to eat. They were almost finished with their meal when the front doorbell rang. Laura stood up and went to answer it. Harry heard her talking to someone out in the hall, and he noticed Hermione stiffen when a second female voice replied.

"I thought you weren't coming until next week." Laura said as they entered the kitchen.

"My ex started spreading even more rumors about me. Mum wanted me out of there before they had to do some major damage control."

The girl that followed into the room had curly shoulder length blonde hair like Laura's and chocolate brown eyes like Hermione. She was wearing a skintight lavender blouse cut to show her navel, where a deep purple stone glittered in the ring there, and equally tight low rise jeans with the waist band removed. She sat down in the seat to Harry's right.

"We were about finished with dinner, but you're just in time for dessert." Laura said as she went to the freezer. The girl seemed to be staring at Harry as he finished his hamburger. Hermione spoke up from his left.

"This is Harry Potter a friend of mine from _school_." Harry glanced at her, noticing her emphasis on 'school', then back to the girl "Harry, this is my cousin, Natanya Williams."


	9. Making A Date

Harry Potter And The Summer Of Surprise-Chapter 9

Making A Date

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter.

Harry closed his book, his finger marking his spot. He had been trying to read one of his school books, but as Hermione and Natanya were arguing softly out in the hallway, he hadn't been very successful. He listened to their voices as they moved down the hall, letting his mind roam over the events of the last few hours -

Hermione sat down on the loveseat next to Harry so that her cousin would have to sit on the couch opposite them. Natanya didn't take the hint, though. She perched on the edge of the coffee table directly in front of Harry, who was trying to clean a spot of ice cream off his t-shirt, and leaned forward. Hermione frowned. If he looked at her, Harry would be able to see directly down Natanya's blouse. He was oblivious, though.

_**Good**_ Hermione thought. _**He's not paying the least bit of attention to Natanya.**_ Her cousin straightened just as Harry gave up on the spot and tossed the damp rag onto the end table next to him. Natanya wasn't used to boys not paying attention to her when she let them look down her blouse, but this guy hadn't even looked in her direction at all! She tried a different tactic.

"Harry, what's your middle name?" He looked at Hermione, surprised, then at Natanya.

"James, after my father. Why?" Natanya closed her eyes thoughtfully for a second.

"Harry means 'Army Power', and James means 'Supplanter'." A look of recognition had come over Hermione's face. She rolled her eyes.

"Natanya is really big on the meaning of names. I think she's been this way ever since she found out that hers meant 'God's Gift' and her middle name, Octavia, means 'Eighth'." A thought crossed her mind, and she giggled. "Which basically translates to mean that she thinks she's the eighth wonder of the world." Natanya glared at her.

"At least _my_ name has a cool meaning." She rolled her eyes. "_Her_ name means 'Earthy' for Heaven's sake." He turned to Hermione and smiled.

"I think it suits her." Hermione blushed prettily, then turned to her cousin.

"My middle name means 'God is Gracious' in case you've forgotten." Harry cocked his head to the side.

"What _is_ your middle name?"

Natanya laughed as she answered him, "Jean." She let out an exaggerated shudder and leaned forward once more, putting her hands on the table on either side of her just as Harry faced forward again. This time he looked exactly where she wanted him to.

"How old are you, Harry?" she asked.

"I'll be seventeen on my birthday," he said with a little difficulty.

"When's your birthday?" Natanya asked.

"The thirty-first." he answered.

"Of _this_ month?" Harry nodded, still staring at her chest. "What a coincendence! I'll be seventeen at the beginning of next month! We should have a pre-birthday dinner together to celebrate. How about this Friday? We could go to the restaurant up the street."

Again Harry nodded, still in a daze from the sight in front of his eyes. Hermione's heart dropped to her stomach. The restaurant up the street was the one she had mentioned to Harry the day before.

"Wonderful! I can't wait." Natanya stood up and left them, humming contentedly to herself as she went up the stairs. Laura entered the living room a minute later and sat on the couch across from them. She looked between the two of them, Harry's eyes slightly glazed and Hermione's upset.

"Dishes are done. What did I miss?" Her niece stood and left the room, running up the stairs. Laura turned to Harry.

"Harry?" He shook his head, realizing someone was speaking to him. He looked at Laura in surprise, hardly noticing they were alone in the room. "What just happened, Harry?" He gave her a tiny smile.

"I have a date on Friday." Laura clapped her hands together.

"That's wonderful! Where are you going?" Harry shook his head again, trying to remember.

"She said the restaurant up the street." Laura smiled and stood up.

"I'll make the reservations for you." She walked over to the phone, thinking _**Why is Hermione upset? She's got a date with Harry, the boy she is always talking about and has admitted to me and herself that she is in love with. So why is she so unhappy?**_ A few minutes later, she hung up the phone and returned to the couch.

"Friday at seven, Harry. Under your name." Harry nodded.

"Thank you," he said.

"No need to thank me. I just want you and Hermione to have a good time Friday." He looked up at her.

"My date isn't with Hermione," he said, to Laura's shock. "It's with Natanya." -

Harry put his book down as he stood and stretched. He looked at his alarm clock. Nearly midnight. He had been sitting in that chair for over two hours! No wonder he felt stiff and cramped. Laura was taking him to work in the morning, so he set his alarm for six. He turned off the light and crawled into bed, laying his glasses on the nightstand.

He wished just before he fell asleep that Hedwig would come soon, so that he could write a letter to Ron about the interesting summer he was having!


	10. Shopping Again

Harry Potter And The Summer Of Surprise-Chapter 10

Shopping Again

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter.

Lying on his back, staring at the blurry amber clouds through a pair of non-prescription sunglasses, Harry was mulling over what had happened over the last three days. He had come home from work on Monday and Tuesday and had been grabbed by Natanya both times. They had gone for a walk to a park not far from the house and had sat on a bench and talked.

Well, more like Natanya talked and Harry listened.

He was grateful when he had entered the house this afternoon and found it absolutely silent. He had gone into the kitchen for a Pepsi and saw the note from Natanya that she had gone out with a friend and wouldn't be back until dinner time. Harry went upstairs and changed into his blue swimsuit. He stopped at the top of the stairs on his way back down, turned and went to Hermione's closed bedroom door. He knocked, but there was no answer. He assumed that she had gone to the library or with her cousin.

Now that he was thinking of Hermione, where had she been for the last two days?

Harry rolled over onto his stomach, his arms folded under his chin. Why had she been avoiding him since... He sat up and smacked his forehead. He had forgotten all about his date! He took off the sunglasses and put his glasses on in their place. He stood, gathered his towel and headed into the house.

_**I don't even know if there's a dress code at this restaurant**_ he thought. _**I don't think I...**_ Harry noticed that the door next to the table was ajar. He walked over and stuck his head around the door, seeing a large dining room, and at the table, surrounded by parchments, books, quills, and ink, sat Hermione.

"Here you are!" he said, pushing the door open and walking into the room. She looked up.

"Hi, Harry," she said and went back to her work.

"I was looking for you earlier." She pulled one of the open books closer to her and checked a fact before writing it down.

"I've been right here," she answered. Harry stood watching her for a few minutes, wondering why she was acting this way. She looked up to see him still standing there. "Did you need something, Harry?" He nodded, and she lay down her quill, giving him her full attention.

"Um, is there a dress code at this restaurant?" Hermione confirmed that there was, and watched his face fall.

"What?" Harry shifted his weight.

"I don't know if I have anything that would be suitable to wear." Hermione's jaw dropped.

"You have to be joking! After all the clothes we picked out?" She stood and grabbed him by the arm, dragging him up to his room. She released him and strode over to his closet, throwing open the door and rummaging inside. Harry followed, rubbing his arm where she had grabbed him and took hold of an off-white shirt that she had pulled out. He did the same with a pair of his school uniform trousers.

Hermione looked down at the three pairs of shoes lined up at the bottom of the closet. He had his sandals, athletic shoes and his uniform shoes. None of which were suitable for the restaurant.

"You just need a pair of shoes." Harry nodded and handed the hangers back to her. She put them back into the closet and turned to face him. "I could go with you if you want," she said. He looked at her. "To buy the shoes." Harry nodded. Of course that's what she was talking about. He was going with Natanya on Friday, not Hermione. Although, he was starting to wish that it 'was' Hermione that he was taking to dinner, not her cousin.

"I'm just wondering if I have enough to get a pair of shoes and still be able to pay for dinner," he said.

"I'll pay for your shoes, Harry." He turned to see Laura in the doorway. He shook his head.

"I can't let you do that. You've done too much for me as it is." Laura entered the room and handed her niece a credit card.

"Don't worry about it. You just save your money for Friday. You want me to take you?" Harry again shook his head.

"We can take the bus." Laura looked behind him at Hermione, who nodded. The look in her eyes said she wanted to be alone with Harry.

"All right. Just be careful," Laura said. She turned and left the room. Hermione went to the door.

"I'll meet you downstairs, all right?" Harry nodded and she left as well, closing the door. Harry hesitated for a second, then locked the door before heading into his bathroom. He didn't want the chance of a repeat of two nights before. He had just gotten out of the shower and there was a knock at his door. He was barely able to get the towel around his waist before Natanya opened the door and stuck her head around it. She hadn't been apologetic in the least and seemed to only be sorry that she hadn't seen all of him before he had covered up. He had locked the door as soon as she had left, and since then had made sure to lock it whenever he was going to be in _any_ stage of undress.

_**If it had been Hermione, I wouldn't have minded so much, because she's seen everything I have**_ he thought as he started the water in the shower. That thought caused an immediate reaction from his body.

"You have got to be kidding me!" he said out loud. He looked down and smiled ruefully, then leaned over to turn off the hot tap, forcing his budding erection into retreat. He turned it back on when his teeth started chattering and quickly washed off the sunblock that he had put on when he had gone outside. He washed his hair just as quickly and shut off the water as soon as all the soap had been rinsed off his body.

He heard a knock at his door as he was wrapping a towel around his waist. He groaned inwardly, put his glasses on, and went to unlock it. He opened it just enough to see Hermione on the other side.

"Are you coming? I was starting to think you changed your mind." Harry opened the door far enough to let her in and closed it behind her. She turned slightly pink when she saw what he had on. "You were in the shower," she said, feeling slightly embarrassed about being with him in his room when he was only in a towel even after what she'd done on Sunday. He gave her a sly grin and moved to take it off. She let out a giggled squeal and turned away from him.

"Just kidding, Hermione." He got a light blue t-shirt, black shorts, socks and boxers out of his dresser and headed into the bathroom. "I'll be out in a little bit." He closed the door. He emerged five minutes later, and not seeing Hermione, looked around his room. He found her by his bookcase, running her hand over his Firebolt. He got his shoes out of the closet and leaned up against his dresser to put them on. When they were tied, Harry moved behind Hermione and lay his chin on her shoulder. She jumped in surprise.

"Are you ready to go?" he asked. She nodded and they left his room. Laura called Hermione into the living room when they got to the bottom of the stairs and Harry went outside to wait for her.

She came out a minute later, a big grin on her face. He saw her put some money into her purse along with her aunt's credit card and walk down the steps toward him.

"What?" he asked.

"Aunt Laura just wants me to be sure to feed you while we're out. She thinks you're too skinny and that you still bolt your food because you are thinking that someone is going to take it away from you." Harry frowned slightly.

"I told you about that the other night at dinner. I'm trying not to, but it's hard. Sixteen years of having your family treat you worse than a stray dog. Sixteen years of learned behavior are hard to break." Tears formed in his emerald eyes. he brushed them away angrilly. The grin never left Hermione's face, but she took his hand.

"Harry, she was joking. She's just worried that we may not be home in time for dinner, and gave me some money so we can eat, alright?" He gave her a shaky smile and held her hand all the way to the bus stop. They sat on the bench while they waited and talked about the previous school year, but Harry wouldn't discuss Dumbledore no matter how Hermione tried to bring the topic up. The bus arrived, they got on and paid their fares. Harry went straight to the back of the bus, where he sat and stared out the window. Hermione sat down next to him.

"Please don't take this the wrong way," he said softly to her, "But I am just not ready to talk about him yet. Please let it go." He turned to look at her and she saw he had tears in his eyes again. She nodded and he looked around the bus to see if anyone had seen him in this state. No one had, so he wiped his eyes and smiled wanly to Hermione.

The bus trundled through town, picking up and dropping off people every so often. Hermione looked out the window and reached across Harry to pull the stop cord. The driver stopped in front of a shoe shop and they thanked him as they exited the bus. There was a large book shop next to the shoe shop, and Harry had to promise that they would go in there as soon as he had his shoes. They entered the store and were greeted by a saleswoman.

"What can I do for you?" she asked. Harry told her what he needed and his shoe size while Hermione wandered around the shop. When he had chosen a pair of black patent leather shoes and Hermione had signed the credit card slip, they left the shop with the new purchase.

"Can we go to the book shop now?" she asked eagerly. Harry laughed.

"Yes, we can go to the book shop now." Hermione handed him the card and the money from her purse.

"To keep me from buying out the whole place," she explained as they went inside. Harry laughed again. He stayed at the front of the shop watching her as she wandered the shelves, picking out book after book. He smiled and shook his head, turning around to look out the window. Across the street he saw a haberdashery. He thought of the outfit that Hermione had picked out for him, then of the shoes he had bought. The shirt was fine, but his school trousers would look pretty shabby with them. He dug into his pocket, pulling out change as he looked to see how Hermione was doing. She was sitting in a corner surrounded by stacks of books. Harry smiled and walked out the door. He found a phone and after putting in his change, he dialed Laura's house.

"Laura, it's Harry," he said when she answered. "No. Everything's fine," he quieted her fears that something was wrong. "I just want to ask you a question." He explained what he wanted. "I really don't want to ask you for anything else..." Laura cut him off.

"Don't worry about it, Harry. If you feel uncomfortable about wearing your school clothes on a date, I understand. We should have thought to get you some dress clothes the other day. Now what's the name of the shop?" He told her and she said that she would call them to let them know he had her permission to use her credit card. Harry promised to pay her back every cent of what the bills were for today and hung up the phone before she could argue. He walked across the street when the light changed and entered the store. The salesman was on the phone and looked up as he heard the bell ring. He nodded.

"Yes, he just walked in. Of course, Miss Parker. Thank you." He hung up the phone. "Hello, Mr. Potter, what can I do for you?" Harry explained to the man exactly what he had to Laura. The man helped him pick out a dark green jacket, khaki slacks and a spruce and navy tie. Harry signed the credit slip and the man handed Laura's card and the bag containing his new clothes to him while the reciept printed out. Harry slid his shoe box into the bag on top of the rest of the items and thanked the man as he took the slip and walked back to the book shop.

Hermione was still in the corner, having not even noticed his absence. He wandered around a few minutes and found a book of names. He picked it up and checked Natanya's explanations against the ones in this book. He found that his and Natanya's were right, but he liked the one that this book held for Hermione's name more than the one that her cousin had given. He also looked up Ron's name- it meant 'King's Advisor' or 'Helpful', and Luna Lovegood's- hers meant 'Moonstruck'.

'No wonder people call her _Loony_ Lovegood,' Harry thought, placing the book back on the shelf and heading to Hermione's corner. "Are you ready to go?" he asked. She looked up, nodded and set her book aside as she stood.

"Let's go get you something to eat."

Hermione took a bite of her cheeseburger and looked down at the bag next to Harry's seat. She glanced over her shoulder to see if he was returning from his trip to the restroom, and not seeing him, pulled the bag toward her. She peered into it, and saw only the box containing his new shoes. She heard his voice excusing himself behind her and quickly shoved the bag back to its original position just as Harry reached their table.

He gave her a sly smirk as he sat down across from her.

"What?" Harry grinned.

"If you want to know what's in the bag, all you have to do is ask me." Hermione dropped her eyes to her tray and picked up a chip.

"I don't know what you're talking about." she said a little too quickly, looking back up at him. The smile was still on his face.

"Yes, you do. I saw you from across the restaurant."

Hermione dropped the chip back onto her tray. "All right. What's in the bag?"

Harry looked down and picked up several of his own chips, put them into his mouth and chewed excruciatingly slowly. Hermione glared at him.

"Harry!" she admonished.

He chewed a few more times, swallowed, and replied, "Just trying to slow down my eating, 'Mione."

She started at this shortened form of her name. No one had ever called her that. Not even her parents. In fact, the only time her name had ever been shortened before was by Hagrid's brother, Grawp. And even then, she had been 'Hermy'. Hermione had hated that. She discovered she rather liked this one, though. He looked up at her and grinned again.

"Harry, you keep eating like that, and your chips are going to be stone cold."

He continued to chew as slow as before. When the chips were gone, she added, "Your sandwich probably has freezer burn by now." Harry picked it up and took a bite.

When he had swallowed, he told her, "Nope. It's just an ice cube." He took another bite. Hermione looked at the bag and back at him.

"If you don't want me to know what's in the bag, why did you tell me to ask?" Harry smiled.

"Who says I don't want you to know? I was just following your suggestion to slow down when I eat." Hermione crossed her arms.

"That was not _**slowing down**_. That was almost bringing it to a grinding halt!" She watched him finish the sandwich and crumple the wrapper.

"How about you tell me the real reason you did what you did on Sunday?" He pushed his tray aside. "And why have you been avoiding me?" Hermione leaned forward, placing her arms on the table.

"I haven't been avoiding you. You've been avoiding me." Harry looked shocked, but said nothing as she continued. "You go to work, you come back to the house, and you go off somewhere with Natanya. I've been there all this time and haven't seen you for more than three minutes." Harry shook his head.

"The only reason I go off with Natanya is because she grabs me as soon as I walk in the door. And how could you have seen me for three minutes when I haven't seen any sign of _you_ for two _days_?" Hermione sat back in her chair and studied him.

"I saw you when you went out to the pool, and when you came back in. I do my homework in the dining room lately. It's the only place where I have enough room for 'all' my books and parchments." He frowned.

"So you _have_ been avoiding me?" She shook her head. "Then why didn't you come outside and join me?" She finished her fries and tossed the container onto her tray.

"Because I've been trying to get some of my homework done since Sunday."

Harry held up one finger as he said, "Which comes back to my original question." Hermione stared at him. He put his hand on the table and leaned forward. "Why did you give me a blow job on Sunday?" he asked softly, making sure that no one could hear him. Hermione crinkled her nose in obvious distaste.

"You make it sound so crude. And I told you why."

Harry leaned even closer to her and said, almost in a whisper, "I don't mean to sound crude, but you deep-throated me, you swallowed my cum." She flinched again. "And the only answer you gave me when I asked you then was, and I quote, _Because I want to, and because you seem to need it_. Unquote." He sat back in his seat, watching her as she turned a firey red at the memory. She opened her mouth, then closed it, and lowered her eyes.

"I thought you liked it," she finally said, dropping her head and sounding as if she were about to cry. Harry reached across and placed his hand over hers.

"Look at me." She raised her head, meeting his eyes. He smiled. "I _did_ like it. That's not the problem. I'm just wondering...why?" She frowned in response.

"Is it so important that you know?" Harry nodded.

"It is when it's my best friend that's the one who..." She waved her hand, cutting him off, and looked at her watch.

"We'd better go if we're going to catch the last bus back to the house." She stood and headed out the door. Harry growled softly to himself, grabbed his bag, and followed her.


	11. Surprises On Date Night

Harry Potter And The Summer Of Surprise-Chapter 11

Surprises on Date Night

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter.

Hermione lay her quill down on her desk Friday night and sighed. Her cousin had just left her room for about the four hundredth time in the last two hours. Natanya seemed to want her opinion on every tiny detail.

Should she wear her hair up or down, which earrings, shoes, dress, color of eyeshadow? (Harry had disappeared into his room half an hour ago to avoid any more questions from Natanya about what he was wearing to dinner.) She heard her cousin coming again and braced herself for another onslaught of inqueries. Surprisingly though, her cousin went past her door. Hermione picked up her quill again and returned to her Transfiguration essay. A few minutes later, Natanya burst into the room and grabbed her by the hand, making a large ink spot fall onto the middle of the parchment.

"Natanya! Look what you did!" Her cousin waved her off as she dragged her out of the room and down the hall.

"You can fix that later. Right now I need your help with something 'important'." Hermione stopped short as they entered the room. She couldn't believe the mess she was seeing. Papers and make-up scattered all over the vanity, the bed unmade and under a mountain of clothes which spilled onto the already covered floor.

"You know there is a hamper in the bathroom, and a wardrobe and dresser in here. And for the matter of importance, my 'homework' is important to me! This is my final year. If I don't get the marks I need, I can't get the career that I want when I leave Hogwarts."

Natanya waved her off again, saying, "Just wait here. I'll be right back." She headed into the bathroom. Hermione kicked the clothes on the floor with disgust, and bent to start picking them up. When she had gathered an armful, she went over to the wardrobe and deposited them onto the large pile that was already there. She then turned to the desk and started to straighten that jumble.

An official looking paper caught her eye and she glanced over her shoulder to check on her cousin's whereabouts.

Natanya was singing a song that Hermione only vaguely recognized to be from the 80's about not wanting someone to cry. She was still rattling around in the cabinet, so Hermione looked quickly down at the paper.

It was an order to stay five hundred meters away from one...? Listening for any sign of Natanya returning, Hermione scanned the order as fast as she could, then set it back on the desk as her cousin slammed the cabinet door, and spun to face Natanya as she reentered the bedroom.

"Ocean Mist, Sand and Sable, or Rose Petal body wash?" Hermione's jaw dropped.

"_That's_ what was so important? You wanted to ask me about _body wash_?" She brushed angrilly past her cousin and out the door. "Make your own decisions about what you do and wear tonight," she said as she slammed the door shut behind her. She locked her own door behind her and flopped back down at her desk. She picked up her wand. "Scourgify." The spot on her parchment instantly vanished. "Ocean Mist. I cannot _believe_ that girl!"

Hermione set back into her essay. She heard Harry's shower turn on a few minutes later. She looked toward the sound and shook her head. He was really going to go through with it. He was going out with her cousin. __

_**I wonder if he would if he knew about the restraining order.**_ She looked back down at her paper.

She had almost finished it ten minutes later when loud music came blaring through the wall from Natanya's room. This time she knew the song. It was La Bouche's **Be My Lover**. It was turned down a few seconds later when Laura called up the stairs about it.

_**I'm amazed she could hear Aunt Laura over that racket **_she thought when she had finished her essay and rolled it up. She put her books back into the neat pile they sat in and headed to her bathroom to take a shower before she went to bed. She was just about to step into her bathtub when she heard a loud thump against the wall connecting to Harry's room. She put her robe on and grabbed her wand as she hurried to unlock her door, and ran to Harry's room. She flung open his door, wand ready, to find her cousin almost mauling a struggling half-dressed Harry against the wall. Hermione strode over to them and yanked Natanya backwards.

"What are you doing?" Natanya fumed at her.

"I could ask you the same thing. Is that what you did to your ex-boyfriend?" Natanya flipped her hair out of her eyes.

"I told you he was spreading rumors. I didn't do anything to him." Hermione snorted.

"That's not what the restraining order says." She turned to Harry. "Are you all right?" He nodded, still in shock from being attacked by Natanya.

"Restraining order? I don't have any idea what you are talking about." Natanya said from behind her. "The one that states that you were calling his house at all hours of the day and night and leaving obscene messages on the machine when no one answered, walking past the house six or seven times a day, seven days a week, following him around wherever he went...I can go get the paper for you if that's not enough for you to remember what I'm talking about now." Natanya's pretty face went an unbecoming shade of puce.

"You went through my stuff! How _dare_ you?" Hermione turned to face her cousin now.

"I was straightening the mess on the vanity. Even though Aunt Laura is family, you are a guest in _her_ house, and you should have more respect for the person who lets you into her home." Her cousin smiled a nasty little smile at her.

"How do you know that paper's even real? Or that he didn't make it all up to get attention? He was doing stuff like that the entire time we were going out." Hermione pushed her frizzy hair away from her face.

"I don't think he would do anything like that, Natanya." The other girl spun around in a circle, thrusting her arms above her head.

"You don't _know_ him!"

Placing her hands on her hips and smiling vaguely at a still bewildered Harry, Hermione said, "On the contrary. I know him very well." They both looked at her in shock. "So does Harry." She turned to face him again. "It's Justin Finch-Fletchley."

Hermione stood under the shower spray, rinsing the soap from her hair. She couldn't believe her incredible luck. She was going out to dinner with Harry Potter! After she had let out the information about her cousin's stalking of Justin Finch-Fletchley and the subsequent restraining order that had been filed against her, Harry had said in a no-nonsense tone...

"Get out. Get out of my room and leave me alone the rest of the time you are here. Now." Natanya merely flipped her blonde curls and stomped out the door, slamming it shut behind her. Harry then turned to Hermione and asked if there was any way that he could still cancel the reservations at the restaurant.

"No. They have a policy that states if you cancel with less than twenty-four hours notice, they'll make you pay a fee for them to have held it that long in the first place."

Harry's face fell, then brightened.

"Hey! How about _you_ go with me?" Hermione looked at him warily. "I'm serious! I still have to honor the restaurant's policy." She snorted.

"So you only want to take me so you can still make the reservation. Thanks, but no thanks, Harry." She moved to leave.

"Hermione, wait! I didn't mean it that way. You and Laura have been so nice to me this last week. After all, you 'did' invite me to stay here, and the least I can do is take you out to dinner to thank you. But I don't think I have enough money to pay for Laura to come along." Hermione turned to face him again.

"The reservation was only made for two." She smiled. "You really want to take _me_ out to dinner?" Harry nodded.

"To tell the truth, after spending the week with your cousin, I was trying to think of a way to avoid taking her at all. That's another reason to thank you. If you hadn't found that restraining order, I would have to spend the night listening to her talk about every boy she's gone out with and how far she's gone with them." He stepped closer to her and took one of her hands in both of his, bringing it up against his chest. "Please go with me. Let me take you to dinner." Hermione stared at his naked skin. She found herself unable to think for a second.

"Please?" Harry pleaded. She looked up into his face.

"All right. I'll go with you. Just let me shower and change first." Harry nodded and released her hand. "Thankyou, 'Mione." She felt her heart jump at the nickname, and smiled back at him as she left the room -

Ten minutes later, she stood, wrapped in a towel, in front of her open closet. Scanning through the contents, she spied the minidress that had made Harry's eyes smolder with passion, removed it from its hanger and held it up against her body.

_**This would be the perfect dress for the restaurant. And to get Harry's attention, as well. **_ Hermione dropped her towel on the floor and walked to her dresser. She pulled out a new matching bra and thong that showed off her curves rather nicely when she put them on. She slid the dress over her head and walked back to her closet to pull out a pair of gold strap sandal heels, and closed the closet door to look at her reflection in the mirror on the back.

Hermione frowned. Her body was a knockout, but her hair was bound to be a distraction. She wanted Harry's full attention tonight. Grabbing her wand from her desk, she aimed it at her hair, and muttered a straightening charm that she had discovered in one of the books she had bought in Diagon Alley the summer before. Her hair transformed into shimmering waves to her waist. She smiled.

_**That's better.**_

She stepped into the shoes and had just finished putting a pair of gold and opal drop earrings on, when a soft knock sounded at her bedroom door. She walked over and cracked it open to reveal Harry in khaki trousers, off white shirt, spruce and navy tie and dark green jacket, along with the new shoes they had bought two days earlier.

"Wow, Harry! You look amazing!" she said. He smiled back.

"Are you ready to go?" Hermione opened the door the rest of the way. Harry's jaw dropped. "Hermione," he said when he was finally able to speak. "_You_ look absolutely incredible." Hermione walked to her nightstand and picked up a small gold clutch purse and turned back to Harry. He held out his hand.

"I'm ready, now," she said closing her fingers around his. "Let's go." They went downstairs and into the living room, where Laura was waiting to take them to the restaurant.

"We're ready," Harry said.

"Good," she replied, standing up from her position on the couch and turning to look at him.

"I was starting to wonder what was taking so..." She saw her niece as Harry moved to allow her entrance into the room. "Hermione?" She looked back and forth between the two of them. "I thought..." Harry held up his hand.

"It's a long story, and I really don't want to get into it right now." Laura picked up her keys and purse from the coffee table.

"We'll fill you in on the way there," Hermione said. They headed outside and got into the car. Five minutes later, Laura pulled up in front of the restaurant. Harry got out and pulled the seat forward for Hermione, who had insisted that he sit in the front. She had wanted to give him a little show as she got in and out of the car, and as he had been almost totally speechless during the ride, she gathered that her plan had worked.

"I'm going to talk to Natanya and her mother tonight. This really needs to be brought to Diana's attention," Laura said as Hermione exited the car. "But you two are not to worry about it. Just have fun tonight." Hermione nodded. Harry just stood next to her, dumbfounded as Laura drove away. He moved woodenly when Hermione took his hand and led him to the front door.

'Hermione is wearing a _thong_!' kept running through his mind. Fortunately his jacket was buttoned as his body had immediately reacted to this knowledge. They entered the building and walked to the Maitre'd's stand. The man looked up at them. After a second's silence, Harry felt Hermione elbow him in his ribcage.

"May I help you?" the man said in a bored and slightly exasperated tone. Harry cleared his throat nervously, and Hermione stepped forward.

"Reservation for Potter at seven."

The man looked down at his book and scanned for the name. "Potter, Potter,...Oh, here we are! Party of two at seven. Smoking or non-smoking?" he said as he gathered two menus and looked back up at them.

"Edward. You have known me and my aunt for years. Have we _ever_ wanted the smoking section?" Edward's face registered recognition and surprise at once.

"Miss Granger! I apologize. Of course you'll want non-smoking. Please, follow me." He led them through the room to a table in a secluded corner. "Your server will be with you shortly," Edward said and bowed as he left. Hermione shook her head. Harry looked around himself.

"Why did he put us back here?" he asked.

"Aunt Laura's bank handles the restaurant's account. They take special care of her. This is one of the best tables," was the answer she gave him. _**And the most private, too**_ Hermione thought happily. She set her purse on the table next to her, and picked up her menu. Harry did the same and his face fell when he realized that the whole thing was in French.

"Uh, Hermione?" She looked up at him. "This wouldn't by any chance be the French restaurant you were talking about the other day, would it?" She nodded, smiling at him.

"But I'm not going to make you eat escargots, Harry." He looked relieved at this statement. She leaned closer to him. "But they're really not all that bad." Harry wrinkled his nose.

"No, thanks." The waiter came by to take their drink orders. Hermione said water would be fine for the both of them. The man nodded and walked away, returning soon with a small basket and a pitcher of ice water. After filling their glasses, he said he would return in a few minutes to take their orders, and walked away once more. Harry looked at his menu.

"I think I have some idea as to what this is." He lay the menu flat on the table and pointed to Coq-au-vin. "That's chicken, right?" Hermione nodded smiling at him, laughing softly when he shuddered as he came across Escargots. They went over the selections together. Harry decided to get the one item he had known without need of a translator and Hermione chose the duck a l'orange. Their waiter returned. Hermione ordered lobster bisque as an appetizer, then they both put in their choices for the main course, followed by pain au chocolat for dessert.

The next hour and a half passed with conversation about their plans for the rest of the summer, and what they wanted to do when they left Hogwarts after the coming school year. Harry had decided that he would finish his education and go into Auror training. Hermione had decided she wanted to be an Auror as well, much to Harry's delight. They were just finishing their dessert when Edward came over to their table.

"Miss Granger, a message was left for you from your aunt." He handed her a folded slip of paper and walked away. Hermione read the note out loud.

-Talked to Diana. She wanted me to bring Natanya home now. Will be home A.S.A.P. Tell Edward to ring the cab company and ask for the eight o' clock call. They will know what he is talking about. It's already paid for. See you soon.

Love,

Aunt Laura-

She folded the paper again, and slid it into her purse before calling the waiter over. "May we have our check please?" she asked.

"Your bill has already been paid, Miss Granger. Your aunt said it was to compensate for her not being able to collect you. The tip was included as well." He headed over to a table near the center of the room.

"Well then, are you ready to go, 'Mione?" Harry asked. She nodded, picking up her purse. They stood and headed to see Edward. The cab dropped them off in front of Laura's ten minutes later. Hermione looked through her purse.

"I don't have my key," she said a second later. Harry checked his pockets.

"Me, either." He shrugged. "Sorry." She smiled.

"Well, let's go around the back and wait by the pool." They sat down in the deck chairs and Hermione removed her shoes, stretching out her toes. She leaned her head back to look at the star studded sky. Harry sat back, watching her. He removed his jacket and tie, then rolled up his sleeves. He still was wondering about the other day.

"Hermione?" She turned her head to face him. "Why did you do it?" He saw her roll her eyes in the dim light.

"Harry, we've been over this! Will you _please_ let it go?" He stood, grabbed a towel that had been left on the chair, and spread it at her feet, kneeling down on it.

"I'll let it go on two conditions." She stared at him, waiting. "One, you let me do this." He leaned forward and met her lips with his. He kissed her lightly at first, then deepened it when she began to return it. Hermione wrapped her arms around Harry's neck and pulled him closer as his tongue tenatively entered her mouth. She touched hers to it, moaning when they connected. Harry was an incredible kisser!

_**Cho must have been incredibly stupid not to realize it, and Ginny is nuts to let him leave her, but at least now **_**I**_** finally get a chance at his lips**_ she thought. He pulled back a second later, to her dismay.

"There was another condition, remember?" She released him.

"What is it?" she asked. Harry gave her a slight smile.

"You let me return the favor?" Hermione's jaw dropped.

"You want to...?" He nodded, and she smiled at him shyly. "All right, then." Harry grinned and gently pushed her back against the chair. As she had already been sitting on the edge, she didn't need to slide down for him to be able to touch her. She shivered as he slid one hand up the inside of her thigh, leaning down to lightly kiss the skin he had touched. He repeated the movements with the other leg, his hands meeting at the hem of her skirt.

Harry spread her legs apart, her dress riding up as he did so, then slid his right hand to the edge of her thong. Hermione's breathing sped up with anticipation of him touching her, but his hand moved away. Again, he repeated the movements with the other side. He slid his hands over the tops of her thighs to her hips, took hold of the undergarment and pulled it down off her body. She gasped and closed her eyes as the night air blew lightly over her in a way it never had. She felt Harry's warm breath there a second later and spread her legs as far as she could to allow him access. He lifted a hand to touch her downy curls, stroking the skin under them, causing her to pant slightly. She looked down and met his eyes.

They again had become the color of a smoky emerald, and were looking back at her, silently asking permission. She nodded in response.

Harry rose slightly, took off his glasses and lay them on the table before leaning closer to kiss Hermione. He felt her moan breathlessly under his mouth. His hand never left her body, still moving over her skin. Hermione grabbed hold of him as his fingers slid between her folds. He pulled back in surprise.

"You're already wet?" he asked. She smiled. "But I've hardly even touched you." Her smile widened.

"Harry, you didn't have to touch me to get me wet. I started to when you asked if you could return the favor from Sunday." Her head fell back as he found her opening. He teased it with his finger, then slid it inside. A drawn out moan was his reward, and he grinned. He ducked his head between her legs and kissed her short curls. Another moan. When he licked the wetness running the length of her, she had to bite her lip to keep from screaming. Bringing his left hand up, he spread her with two fingers, while still sliding the finger of his right in and out of her tight tunnel. Harry touched the tip of his tongue to the little nub he had exposed, and her legs clamped tightly around his head for a minute. He pulled away entirely.

"You know, I'm going to have a lot of trouble with this if you're gonna try to crush my skull every time I do that." He looked around and saw a worn out towel laying a few feet away.

_**Thank God Natanya doesn't clean up after herself.**_ He stood and moved to retrieve it and another laying nearby. He tore the first into four strips and placed the other under Hermione to keep from ruining her dress.

"Don't want to have to explain a stain like that, now do you?" he said when she had given him a curious look.

"But what are those for?" she queried about the strips. He knelt back down and wrapped one around her left ankle, tying it to the leg of the chair.

"Just a little insurance that I'll be able to breathe while I'm doing this." He grinned up at her as he tied her other ankle down. "I don't want to have to stop because you are making my eyes pop out." He slid a strip under her thigh, tying it to the arm of her chair, then repeated with the other.

"Now, can you move your legs?" She flexed them, then shook her head. "Good." He inserted his finger back inside her.

"I don't care what you do with your hands," he said, leaning down to lick her clit again. "But I want this to be for you, and I want to be able to finish it." She sighed as he started to lap at her nub constantly, while still moving his finger in and out of her. He added another finger a second later, and took her clit into his mouth, sucking and nibbling lightly on it. Hermione burried her hands in Harry's raven hair, wrapping it around her fingers and lightly tugging on it. She released his tresses from one hand to reach up and pull the bodice of her dress down. She slid her hand inside her bra, pulling her breast out of its cup, running her fingers over the hard pebble at the peak. She did the same for the other, then reached down to take hold of Harry's free arm, pulling his hand up to one of her breasts. He got the idea quickly, stroking and pinching the erect bud while he lapped at her dripping pussy.

She wrapped her hand in his hair again, pulling him closer to her center as her orgasm came slowly nearer and nearer. Harry removed his fingers from her hole, to replace them with his tongue. He moved his fingers up to her clit, rubbing it gently with the pad of his thumb. Hermione bucked, straining against her bonds. She pulled his hand away from her clit and brought it to her mouth, sucked her juices off his fingers, then lowered it down to her other breast. Harry ran his tongue rapidly back and forth between her opening and her clit, knowing that she was going to cum soon. He rolled her nipples between his fingers, pinching lightly as he sucked on her nub. Hermione's breathing was coming faster now, in short little pants.

'OH, GOD!' she thought as she reached the top of the peak. Her voice started out as a soft moan, getting louder until she was nearly screaming. "...OH MY GOD! HARRRRRRRRY!" She had never felt an orgasm like this one. Her whole body tensed, then felt as if she had gone into the outer reaches of the universe. She collasped into her seat as the spasms slowed, then stopped. Harry sat back and looked at his Hermione. Her head was lying on one shoulder and she looked back at him through glazed eyes.

"Are you O.K.?" he asked. She nodded, unable to speak for the moment. He picked up his glasses and put them on, then untied her trembling legs from the chair. He stood up, tossing the ripped up towel onto his chair. Hermione sat up straight.

"We can't leave you in this state, Harry." She gestured to the front of his slacks. He looked down, knowing that he would see his erection straining the zipper. Hermione put the back of the chair down, took his hand, pulling him down with her. He went willingly.

"That name book I found the other day was right. Your name _does_ mean 'Sensual'. Natanya was almost _totally_ wrong," he said before meeting her mouth with his own before she could ask what he was talking about. She tasted herself on his lips and tongue, moaning as she felt his body press against hers.

"Harry..." she whispered against his mouth. They both froze- green and brown eyes meeting in horror. Laura's car had just pulled into the drive.

"Shit!" Harry said as he jumped up, grabbing her thong and tossing it to her as she hastily rearranged her dress and pulled the back of the chair into place. He sat down in the other chair, hiding the towel strips just as Laura opened the back door.

"Why are you two sitting out here?" she asked.

Hermione answered, "We both forgot our keys." Laura nodded.

"Sorry about that. I didn't think that you wouldn't take them, or to leave the spare. Come on inside. It's getting late, and I'm tired. You can tell me about your evening tomorrow." She turned and walked into the house. They stood and looked at each other, smiling. There was _definitely_ one thing they were going to leave out!


	12. Regrets Turn To Admissions

Harry Potter And The Summer Of Surprise-Chapter 12

Regrets Turn To Admissions

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter.

As she filled the washer with her whites from the week before, Hermione thought of what had happened on Friday. If Laura hadn't come home when she had, Hermione knew she would have asked Harry to make love to her. Whether he would have or not, she never found out, but she still wanted him to. She had not seen him today as he had been at work when she had gotten up, but he was due home soon. She hadn't been alone with him on Saturday because Laura didn't have to work, but today she had gone out with some friends and would be gone for a few more hours.

She heard the front door shut and left the garage after turning the washer on. Stepping into the kitchen from the patio, she found Harry standing by the refrigerator, a glass of ice in his hand. He turned and saw her in the doorway, gave her a small smile and walked to the sink, where he filled the glass with water.

"I need to talk to you," he said as he came over to the table. She sat down uneasily, as his tone didn't sound promising. He sat next to her and took a long drink of his water. When he had set the glass down, he turned it round in circles and wouldn't look at her. "Hermione, I'm sorry for what happened the other night." Hermione felt her insides go cold.

"You mean you regret what you did for me?" He looked at her finally.

"No. Not that." He warmed her with another small smile. "That was to thank you for what you did for me last Sunday. I'll never regret giving you the same pleasure that you gave me. I'm sorry for what I did after that." She looked at him, confused.

"What you did? What do you mean? You didn't do anything." He got up and walked to the island, where he put his hands on the edge. He stood there, facing away from her for a minute.

"I started to force myself on you." Hermione gasped. "If your aunt hadn't come home when she did, I may have..." He had to stop as he began crying out his grief. He turned to face her. "I think I should leave." Hermione stood and moved over to him. He tried to pull away, but she held onto the sides of his face, forcing him to look at her.

"Harry, don't you remember? _I_ was the one who pulled you down." He again tried to move from her, but she still held tight. "Harry, listen to me! I _wanted_ you to! I _still_ want you to." She released him and stood in front of him, watching his face as he took in what she had just told him.

"Yes, Harry," she said when complete comprehension lit up his tear filled eyes. "I want you to make love to me." Harry slumped against the island.

"You do? Why? Why me?" Hermione took his hand and led him back to the table.

"Sit down, Harry." They both resumed their seats. "I am going to bear my soul to you right now. In a way I have never done before. When I met you on the train, and I found out who you were, I went back and reread everything about you. How your parents met in school, when they were married, when they died and how you survived because of your mother's sacrifice. I had the most incredible crush on you before I even _knew_ you!" Harry smiled at her warmly, drying his eyes on the tail of his shirt.

She went on. "Then as I got to know you and learned how your aunt and uncle were treating you on holidays, it made me care for you even more. You do so many things to protect the school and its students, as well as the rest of the world, and someday, you are going to have to fight Voldemort. You have all this on your shoulders and yet you were still able to be my friend. I think anyone else would have pushed me away because I'm so bossy and plain."

Harry shook his head and inturrupted her. "You're not plain. You're beautiful." She smiled as she continued.

"But you looked past that. You saw the lonely girl inside, and you chose to be her friend. When you liked Cho, I was insanely jealous. I thought that it was because I didn't want someone to take your friendship away, and I was happy when your date with her didn't work out." She paused to stand and get herself a glass of water.

"But I realized soon afterwards that I wasn't jealous of just Cho. I became jealous of Ginny as well when you kissed her. By the way, Hedwig came back today. She had a letter for me and dropped it off. She's in your room. Ginny has found another boyfriend, Harry. She's gone back to Dean Thomas. She said she told you in your letter, but I didn't know if I would be able to get this out if you read that first, so back to my original topic. I made it look all last year as if I were interested in Ron, just as I did with Viktor and although you knew it wouldn't have ever worked out because of how the Christmas party turned out, Cormac McGlaggen. I was doing all that for one reason." She returned to her seat. "To make _you_ jealous."

Harry looked at her in surprise.

"Why?" he asked. Hermione sighed and took another deep breath before answering him.

"Because I realized that I'm in love with you. I've been in love with you and wanted you to make love to me since about the middle of second year." She stood once more. "And I can't believe I just told you that." She fled from the room and up the stairs, knowing Harry was right behind her, and was calling her name. She ran into her bedroom and slammed the door shut, locking it just as Harry reached it. He rattled the handle.

"Hermione, let me in, please," he said. Hermione covered her ears, trying to block out the sound of his voice. She wished she had stopped when she had told him she wanted him to make love to her. "Hermione, please! Open the door!" Tears started running down her face.

"Go away, Harry!" He still kept calling her and she ignored him until he quietly said the two sentences she would never forget as long as she lived.

"Please, 'Mione, you have to open the door. How else can I tell you that I love you too?" He went silent. She spun in place and faced the door.

"What did you say?" she asked moving to stand right up in front of it. Harry smiled. He knew that his admitting he loved her would get her attention. He decided to play with her now, just to see if she would open the door.

"I said _please_, Hermione." She giggled a little.

"After that." He knew she listened intently as he didn't answer for a minute.

"Oh! You mean the part when I asked you to open the door?" He heard another small giggle, and the door unlocked. He turned the handle and pushed it open to reveal a teary Hermione on the other side.

"Or the part when I said that I love you, too?" He held out his arms and Hermione rushed into them. "Because I do. Desperately. I thought I loved Ginny, but when Dumbledore died and we sat through the funeral, I realized the one I had thought of the entire time was not her, but you. I didn't want to break her heart too bad, so I told her that I had to face this on my own. But seeing you this past week has made me so happy, and I don't want to be alone, I want to be with you. Always." He leaned down and kissed her tenderly.

"I _want_ to make love to you, Hermione. I just didn't think that you felt the same way, so when Laura came home, and I realized what I'd been about to do, I sort of freaked. Forgive me?" She smiled and pulled his head down to hers, kissing him gently. She took hold of one of his hands and brought it to her breast.

"Now?" he asked in surprise. She nodded and captured his lips again, pulling him towards her bed. They fell onto it as her legs met the edge. Harry trailed kisses down her chin to her neck, where he sucked lightly on her pulse point. He felt her sigh under him, and moved up to capture her earlobe. Hermione ran one hand down Harry's side and around to the front of his jeans. She felt the start of his erection there and he trembled against her fingers.

"I'm home!" came Laura's call from downstairs. Harry's head snapped up, meeting Hermione's eyes with his own.

"Not again!" they both mouthed to the other and stood up to gather their senses before heading back down stairs, Harry lagging behind a minute to let his libido settle to a low simmer.


	13. Birthday Preperations

Harry Potter And The Summer Of Surprise- Chapter 13

Birthday Preperations

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter.

Laura and Hermione sat at the kitchen table two days before Harry's birthday. They were going over all the invitations that had been R.S.V.P.'d. Hermione had sent them out with Hedwig along with a letter that Harry was sending to Ron. So far, twelve of the people on the list had accepted, most of them the Weasley family, except for Ginny, who felt that Harry would feel hurt if she came with Dean even though he had been invited as well. Hermione was wondering if she and Harry should send a note to the Weasleys to tell them about the new development in her and Harry's relationship. She knew it might make Ron uncomfortable for a while, but as he was bringing his new girlfriend, she didn't think it would bother him for long. And at any rate, if she were to send a note, Harry might find out about the party they were planning for him.

"Let's see. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Ron, Bill, Fleur, it's so sad that they had to postpone their wedding for another year because of Bill's injuries from that nasty Fenrir Greyback, I'm so glad that you told me he was captured and given to the Dementors, Fred, George, Oliver, Charlie, Neville and Seamus are coming. And of course Lavender is coming with Ron. Who hasn't responded?" Laura asked, inturrupting Hermione's reverie. She picked up the list of the people they had invited.

"Hagrid, Luna, Katie, Angelina, Alicia, Parvati and Padma, Cho, although I don't think she'll come, Tonks, Proffesor McGonagall, Professor Lupin, and Professor Moody. Plus we'll have to get the yard decorated before Harry gets up _and_ bake his birthday cake."

She looked up as Hedwig came soaring through the open patio door, a new batch of responses in her claws. She landed in front of Hermione and held out her leg.

"Thank you, Hedwig," Hermione said, placing a small dish of water in front of Harry's owl. She shuffled through the responses. "Tonks and Lupin are coming together! That's wonderful! Maybe he's gotten over the thought that he's too old for her. Hagrid, the Patils, Katie, Alicia, and Professors McGonagall and Moody." Laura checked off the names.

"Well, even if the rest don't respond by tomorrow, we still should make extra food, just in case they show up." Four more owls flew into the room, dropped their burdens and left. Hermione chuckled.

"I don't think we have to worry about the rest not responding in time. Here are the rest of the R.S.V.P.'s." She opened the top envelope. "And even Cho's coming. That's surprising. I mean, I wouldn't have even invited her, but I think that she would like to see Harry happy and out of danger for once. Percy's not, though. I guess he just can't admit that he was wrong about Voldemort, and calling Harry a liar and a total lunatic." She lay the invitations aside and picked up the decoration list. "We still need to get the streamers and balloons." Laura nodded as she wrote it down on her list of things left to do.

"Did you ever decide on what the color scheme should be?" Hermione thought a minute.

"Not really," she answered. "I was leaning toward Gryffindor colors, but that would offend the ones not in our house. Then I thought about maybe green because it's Harry's best color, but that would be too much like the Slytherins. How about just having the entire rainbow?" She shrugged.

"You going with me to get them? We can leave right now if you want," Laura asked.

"Yeah, but we'd better clean this up before we go. Harry will be home soon and I don't want him to find out we're giving him a surprise birthday party." They gathered up the party plans and Hermione ran them up to her room, and Hedwig to Harry's. She had just reached the bottom of the stairs and was about call out to remind Laura about the cake they still had to make when the front door opened, revealing that a tired Harry had arrived home. He saw she had her purse with her.

"Are you going somewhere?" he asked. She nodded.

"Aunt Laura and I are going grocery shopping." It wasn't a lie, really. They _were_ shopping for food, just getting some party supplies at the same time. She wondered how they were going to get out of the house without having to tell him he couldn't come along with them. Fortunately, Harry solved this dilemma without even knowing it.

"Do you mind if I just stay here? We were so busy today, I'm exhausted. I just want a shower and then a nap." Hermione nodded and gave him a hug.

"You go ahead. You _look_ exhausted." She kissed him softly. "Have a good nap. Is there anything we can bring you?" He thought for a second, then shook his head.

"But you could give me another one of those." Hermione giggled and pulled his head down for another kiss. They broke apart just as Laura came out of the kitchen. She stopped short when she saw how the two of them were standing just inches apart, but covered her shock well.

"Harry! I didn't hear you come in." Hermione stepped away from him, and he stepped up onto the bottom stair.

"He just got home. He decided he doesn't want to go grocery shopping with us." Laura looked at Harry.

"I just want to have a nap," he agreed.

"Well, then, we'll go and let you have some peace and quiet," said Hermione.

_**And I am going to have a little chat with my niece while we're gone**_ thought Laura as they both watched Harry climb the stairs.

When she heard his door close, Hermione opened the front door and as she went out it, said, "Come on before he changes his mind."


	14. Happy Birthday, Harry!

Harry Potter And The Summer Of Surprise-Chapter 14

Happy Birthday, Harry!

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter.

The morning of Harry's birthday, Hermione and Laura got up just after the sun had risen. Laura headed into the kitchen to decorate the cake she had baked after Harry had gone to bed the night before and Hermione headed outside with her wand to put up the decorations. She had cast 'Silencio' around Harry's windows and door so that none of the noises of the day's actions would wake him before he was ready to get up, and she and Laura hoped that wasn't before their guests arrived.

Hermione went into the garage to get the bag of streamers and balloons. They had chosen to get the entire rainbow after all. Streamers in white and the balloons every other color in the spectrum. She lay this all out on the patio and waved her wand at the streamers. They started levitating off the ground.

'I'm so glad that I paid attention to Professor Snape about non-verbal magic, even though he's the monster of the century, next to...' Her thoughts trailed off as she heard a series of loud cracks to her right, making her jump sky high. She spun around to see Ron, who had just recently passed his Apparition test after taking it for the third time, and his mother along with Lavender. Laura came running out of the house.

"Hermione! Are you alright?" She stopped when she saw the new arrivals. "Oh, hello." They returned her greeting. Ron turned to Hermione.

"Dad couldn't come after all. The Ministry called in a few people for emergency medical training." A look of concern came up on Hermione's features. "Don't worry," Ron added. "It's not about You-Know-Who. It's just in case they are needed in the field." Lavender stepped forward and wrapped her arm around Ron's waist possesively. Hermione mentally rolled her eyes.

"Since you are all here, you can help me finish decorating the yard. We have to get it done before Harry gets up." She looked up at his dark window. The others followed her gaze. "I put a silencing charm on his room so he wouldn't hear anything, but he could wake up at any time."

Laura jumped as another set of cracks sounded in the early morning air, announcing the arrival of Lupin, Tonks, Moody, Fred, and George.

"Do they always make that noise when they do that?" asked Laura, a little disconcerted.

"Yes. We've never been able to figure out why, but it always happens when we Apperate," her niece replied.

"Hermione, I can use your help in the kitchen. We still have to make the food for the party." Laura said, nodding her understanding of her niece's explanation. Hermione turned to the others.

"Could you put up the decorations while I help in the house?" They affirmed they could and Hermione and her aunt headed back inside, followed by Lavender.

"Can I help?" she asked as she stood in the doorway. Laura looked at Hermione who shrugged.

"If you want. But wouldn't you rather be outside with Ron?" Lavender looked over her shoulder at her boyfriend, who was blowing up a turquoise balloon with air from the tip of his wand. She smiled as she turned back to face Hermione.

"Yes, but he's busy at the moment, and I'm better at cooking than I am at decorations." She walked to the edge of the island and looked at the cake Laura had finished decorating. "This is beautiful," she said.

"Aunt Laura took a baking class. They taught her how to do that and a lot more." Laura smiled.

"It's not that hard. It just takes a lot of patience." She took a platter of ground beef out of the refrigerator. "You two can start making the hamburgers and then get started on the potato salad. I'm going to get all the veggies ready." Lavender looked skeptically at the meat.

"What's a hamburger?" Hermione laughed.

"I forgot. You're a pureblood. You wouldn't know about Muggle foods like hamburgers." She picked up a handfull of ground beef and made a patty of it then lay it on an empty plate next to the platter. She watched the other girl's nose wrinkle prettily. "It tastes better than it looks," Hermione said, amused. "Of course, they'll be cooked first."

Laura looked over her shoulder from her post at the sink. "And you'll have your choice of toppings to put on them, as well." She held up the head of lettuce she was washing. Lavender hesitantly reached out and picked up a small amount of the ground meat. She shuddered.

"It's cold!" she exclaimed as she delicately patted it into a patty, which bore little resemblance to Hermione's. She held it up for inspection. Hermione nodded.

"That's good, but you need to add more to it and not be afraid of it. It's not going to bite you."

Around nine, the yard was finished, everyone had arrived that could come (the ones that couldn't had sent their gifts with the others), the hamburgers were back in the refrigerator, the vegetables on a plate next to them, and the cake on the top shelf. Lavender was helping Hermione make a sign that was going to be attatched to the kitchen door for Harry when he came down. They taped it to the outside of the door and Hermione flipped the hook lock into its eye latch. Lavender headed out into the back yard with Laura as they heard Harry moving around upstairs. Hermione stood by the kitchen door, waiting.

A few minutes later, she heard his footsteps on the stairs. She listened as he came nearer.-

Harry stepped off the bottom riser and turned toward the kitchen. He saw a note on the door. He moved closer and read it out loud.

"Good morning, Harry. Please knock and obey directions that follow." He smirked and raised a hand to tap on the door as requested.

"Who is it?" came Hermione's voice from the other side. Harry chuckled to himself.

"Harry," he answered. He heard a click and she pulled the door open a crack to peer out at him. "Close your eyes," she ordered him. He did so and she opened the door fully, then took his hand, leading him into the kitchen. "Keep them closed. I don't want to have to blindfold you." Harry smiled.

"They're closed. What's going on?" Hermione didn't answer, but led him through the room to the back door and out into the yard where everyone was assembled. She released his hand and joined the others. Harry stood there, confused as to what was going on. He wasn't afraid, but a little disconcerted as to why she had wanted him to close his eyes.

"O.K., Harry. You can open your eyes now," he heard Hermione say from his left. He did and his jaw dropped as he took in what was in front of him.

"SURPRISE, HARRY!" He jumped nearly out of his skin and turned to see all the people gathered together. Harry laughed as they all crowded around him. Mrs. Weasley hugged him.

"Happy birthday, Harry." The others followed suit, Cho even kissing him lightly on his cheek. Ron noticed Hermione fuming slightly at this, but said nothing. Harry was led over to a table laden down with presents and sat down in the chair next to it.

"You aren't going to open those, yet," he was told and Hermione handed him a piece of paper. On it were listed party games and the instructions for Harry to choose the one he wanted to play first. He scanned the list and found one that he thought would be fun.

"Three-legged race," he said. Hermione reached behind the gifts and pulled out a handfull of cloth strips.

"How we play this is two people stand next to each other and their inside legs are tied together. The object is to work together to get to the finish line first. No magic is allowed."

Fred and George groaned, but agreed. They paired off into twos- Bill/Fleur, Ron/Lavender, Fred/Angelina, George/Katie, Tonks/Remus, Parvati/Padma, Charlie/Laura, Oliver/Alicia, Neville/Luna, Seamus/Cho, Harry/Hermione.

Mrs. Weasley and Professors McGonagall and Moody opted to sit this game out. Hermione asked them quietly why Hagrid hadn't come and was told he had been called to the medical training the same as Mr. Weasley. She nodded and went to join Harry, who was standing at the starting line, waiting for her. When each pair had been tied together, Mrs. Weasley started the race.

"Ready! Set! Go!" The eleven pairs started toward the other end of the yard. Bill and Fleur fell a few feet out and started laughing at each other. Parvati and Padma fell a few yards further. One by one, teams were eliminated until there was only Harry and Hermione, Ron and Lavender, and Charlie and Laura. They got closer and closer to the finish line, the others cheering them on, groaning when Ron tripped, toppling him and Lavender to the ground. The last two teams were only yards away from the end.

Harry tightened his grip around Hermione's waist and pulled her forward with every ounce of strength that he had left. He heard another groan followed by a tremendous cheer that signaled the end of the race. The pair stopped and turned to see Charlie and Laura had fallen just behind them. Hermione squealed and threw her arms around Harry's neck.

"We won!" The two of them fell over and everyone laughed. Harry lay on the grass next to Hermione, panting heavily.

"That was exhausting," he gasped out. Ron's face appeared above him.

"You were the one who picked it," he said, reaching down to help his friend sit up. Harry untied his leg from Hermione's.

"I think I'll choose a slower one next." They stood and headed back to the table. Hermione picked up the paper and crossed off the race with a pen lying nearby, then handed it to Harry. He looked over it once more and chose an absolutely silly one. "Pin the tail on the donkey," he laughed. Laura got up from her seat and brought several large pieces of posterboard from the side of the house.

She leaned them against the wall, and Harry laughed even harder when he saw what one of the pictures was. It was him, without his scar.

"Let me guess. Pin the scar on Harry Potter?" Hermione giggled.

"Yes, and pin the tail on the Centaur, pin the Sorting Hat on the first year, and pin the baby dragon on Hagrid." Everyone laughed at this.

"Harry, you're first. Which one?" Laura asked. He considered for a moment and chose the Sorting Hat. He took off his glasses, handing them to Ron, and Laura blindfolded him. He was led over to the wall where Hermione had attached the picture to it. She handed him the pin that had been stuck through a Sorting Hat cutout and he was spun around three times.

"What is the point of that?" Lavender asked as Harry wobbled his way to the picture and stuck the hat directly over the boy's knee.

"To disorient you. It makes it a bit harder to get the pin in the right place if you're dizzy," Hermione giggled. Harry took off the blindfold and saw where his attempt had hit. He shrugged as he took his glasses back from Ron and slid them onto his nose. Neville volunteered to be next and pinned the lightning shapped scar over the picture Harry's nose and right cheek. Ron pinned the dragon over Hagrid's face instead of in his arms as was the point to be aiming for. Cho won this game as she was the first to get the scar on Harry's forhead. Well, more along his hairline, but no one else came close, and all the males crossed their legs tightly when Hermione had pinned the Sorting Hat to the first year's crotch.

Harry chose the Piñata as the next game. They hung it from a tree near the back end of the yard and even Professor Moody got in this one. Harry especially wanted to do this game when it was his turn, as the piñata was made to look like Umbridge. He swung the stick as hard as he could and felt it connect with the object. He tore off the blindfold that had been put on him and lay into the papier-maché thing to bust it open. When he had succeeded, a mountain of Honeydukes candies tumbled out. Ron dove on top of it and had to fight off Fred and George. The three soon all stood up holding an armfull of the sweets.

"When did you get the stuff from Honeydukes?" Harry asked Hermione and Laura.

"I brought them yesterday, Harry," said Professor McGonagall. "They asked me to get as much of each kind as I could carry when they sent my invitation." Harry knelt down and picked up one of the shop's newest creations.

"What's this?" He turned it until he could make out the wrapper. "Kiss-Mints," he read. "Give one to your sweetheart and experience a different flavor each time you kiss." He shrugged and handed it to Hermione, who unwrapped it and popped it into her mouth. Then as everyone stood open mouthed, Harry turned her towards him and kissed her thoroughly. 'Yum, butterscotch,' he thought. When the two separated, he pulled back and saw the expressions on the faces of his guests.

Ron, Lavender, Fred, George, Neville, and Seamus all had their jaws seemingly unhinged, while the others smiled as if they knew that this was going to happen all along. Laura was the only one who didn't look in the least surprised. Ron was the first to try to say anything.

"Wha-wha-wha-..." He shook his head. "What was that?" he finally got out. Hermione was the one to answer.

"Didn't Harry tell you in the letter he sent you?" Ron looked even more confused.

"Tell me what?" He looked between Harry and Hermione. Harry cleared his throat and everyone looked at him.

"Hermione and I are dating." Ron's face went even more pale than usual at this announcement.

"You and Hermione are..." Harry nodded. "What about my sister?" his friend asked, clenching his teeth together angrilly.

"Ron, Ginny went back to Dean. She wrote both of us a letter to tell us," Hermione said. Then she told the one thing that she knew hadn't been put into Harry's letter, and she thought Ginny's mother had the right to know. "She's been sleeping with him for the last month." Mrs. Weasley gasped in horror. "She sneaks him into her room after everyone has gone to bed and he casts Silencio over the room. He leaves before morning. That's how you don't know about it." Ron's face now turned a shade Harry had never seen before. It looked to be a cross between puce and black. Fred and George looked equally furious. Hermione held up one hand, stopping them from Disapparating.

"There's a few other things that I think you should know. He's asked her to marry him, and she's accepted. Most likely because she believes she may be pregnant." Mrs. Weasley brought a hand up to her mouth. She moaned low under it. Hermione turned toward Harry. "I think I may have just ruined your birthday party," she told him apologetically.

"It's alright. They did have the right to know. Maybe it's for the best that Ginny went back to Dean." He looked at the Weasley family's faces. "Not for Dean at the moment of course. But in the long run, I don't believe I would have been able to hide how I feel for you if she and I got back together."

Professor McGonagall cast a flurry of Cheering Charms over the Weasleys. They immediately started smiling and chuckling to themselves.

"This is Harry's birthday and we are here to celebrate it," she said in a no-nonsense tone.

"That's right," Laura broke in. "And I believe it's time to eat."


	15. A Family Friend's Emergency

Harry Potter And The Summer Of Surprise-Chapter 15

A Family Friend's Emergency

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter.

Harry sighed and lay back against his headboard. Even though there has been the trouble in the announcement about Ginny and Dean, all in all, his birthday had been pretty great. He had recieved some very useful presents, he had eaten his fill of birthday cake, and he and Hermione had come out into the open about their relationship.

Hermione was in her bedroom at the moment writing a letter to Ginny apologizing for being the one to tell about Dean and Ginny's possible pregnancy. Harry was grateful that he'd had the foresight to take care of any chance of Hermione becoming pregnant, even though they hadn't gone that far yet. He knew that he was ready, and from her actions over the last week, Hermione was as well. He found he was also ready for the responsibilty of a physical relationship when it hadn't even bothered him that Joe teased him about his purchase the other day. The day manager had grinned widely and made some very suggestive comments when he saw what Harry was buying, but Harry had just smiled and handed over his money. The small package now resided in the drawer of his nightstand.

_**Just in case you actually get the chance, eh, Potter?**_ Harry smiled.

_**You got that right**_ he answered his inner voice.

_**Well, at least you're halfway there. Look at what you've done. The two of you have admitted you love each other, and that you want to be together. Now all you are waiting to do is be able to take the next step.**_ Harry shook his head slightly.

_**Being able isn't the problem. The problem is getting her alone long enough for us to do anything more than get each other hot and bothered. I can't stand it! Every time we are alone for more than ten minutes, or we think that Laura is going to be away for a few more hours, we get interrupted!**_ His mental discussion was put on hold by Hermione knocking. He turned his head and saw her standing in the doorway, holding the letter to Ginny.

"Do you mind if I use Hedwig to send the letter?" she asked. Harry smiled and stood up.

"Of course I don't mind." They went to the cage where Hedwig was lightly napping. Harry stroked her feathers to wake her. "You want to go on another delivery, girl?" he asked as she hopped onto his shoulder when he leaned down toward her. He turned to Hermione and the owl held out her leg so the letter could be tied on. Harry carried her to the window and gave her an owl treat before she flew out into the night. They watched her fly off and turned to the door when they heard another knock. Laura, looking aggitated, stood there.

"Hermione, Harry, I just got a phone call about a friend of ours, Jonella. She's almost to term in her pregnancy and has gone into labor. When her water broke, there was a lot of blood as well, and that's a sign that something may be wrong. She's really scared. Her husband is in France at the moment, and she needs someone to be with her. I'll be gone all night and probably most of tomorrow morning as I have to go to London. Will you two be all right?" They both nodded and helped Laura out to the car.

"I'll call you as soon as I get to the hospital," she said looking from one to the other, and added, "Be careful," as an afterthought. She hugged them both and got into the car. Just before she pulled out of the driveway, she looked at the pair standing next the driveway. "Whatever you do, _please_ be careful," she begged. Harry understood her meaning and leaned into the car.

"Don't worry, Laura," he whispered as he gave her another hug. "I've taken care of it. We'll be careful about _everything_." She smiled thankfully at him. He backed away and they waved as she left. They headed back into the house and Harry went to the living room. He sat down on the couch and stared at the blank television screen to his right for a second, then picked up the remote to turn it on. Hermione watched him from the doorway.

"What did you tell her when you hugged her again?" she asked curiously. Harry flipped a few more stations before answering.

"Just that we would be careful, that's all." He turned the T.V. off and tossed the remote onto the coffee table. "I'm going up to bed," he said as he stood and strode past her. She listened to his steps as he went to the bottom of the staircase. She heard him pause there, and turn off the hall and the porch lights.

"Are you coming?" he asked in a suggestive tone. Hermione smiled, turned off the living room light and went to follow Harry up the stairs.


	16. Laura Remembers

Harry Potter And The Summer Of Surprise-Chapter 16

Laura Remembers

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter

Laura was worried and elated as she drove northward to London. Her friend's neighbor had been dully concerned about the blood that had mixed with the amniotic fluids. It was Jonella's first baby, she and her husband had been trying for almost two years, suffering three miscarriages. When she had passed her fifth month with this pregnancy, she started having cramps and spotting, and the doctor had put her on near total bedrest to try and prevent her from losing this baby as well. Along with these thoughts, she now had Harry and Hermione's relationship to think about. The two loved each other, but she didn't want them to do anything they might regret later. She knew though, that Harry was a responsible young man, and would never do anything to hurt her niece.

_**He would go to the ends of the earth for her**_ Laura thought. _**And Hermione would do the same for him. They would lay their lives down for each other.**_ She remembered, as she entered London, how everyone had reacted to the kiss at Harry's birthday party. Most of them had not been surprised. They seemed to have been expecting this for some time. Even Charlie.

She thought of Ron's older brother and blushed.

She had fallen on top of him during the three-legged race and he had just smiled. Then, during the other games that required a partner, he had chosen her each time. He had even sat with her and talked while they ate their dinner and Harry's birthday cake. But the final thing that he had done was the one that made her heart flutter. He had asked if he could write to her, and if he did, would she write back? She had said yes to both questions, and he had given her his address and a little kiss on her cheek just before he disappeared into thin air with that loud crack.

Laura raised her hand to that spot, now. She smiled at the memory as she pulled into the hospital's drive. When she had parked the car, she forced her focus to Jonella and the baby.

But just as she was to enter the building, the thought of Charlie's kiss forced its way back into her mind, and made her smile again.


	17. Discussion And Loving

Harry Potter And The Summer Of Surprise-Chapter 17

Discussion and Loving

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter.

Hermione's breath caught in her throat as she looked up the dimly lit staircase that Harry had gone up seconds before. Her heart began racing, and she realized she was suddenly very nervous. As much as she wanted it, now that the time had arrived, was she 'really' ready to go to bed with Harry? She started up the steps. She knew that Harry had lost his virginity to Ginny during the short time they had been together, and now she wondered if she was ready to do the same for him.

_**Where is he?**_ she thought as she reached the halfway point, _**I need to see him. For me to be able to know if I'm ready for this, I need to see Harry.**_ Hermione squeaked in shock when she reached the top, as Harry grabbed her wrist from the darkness beyond what the pale nightlight that Laura put at the head of the stairs illuminated.

He pulled her toward him and whispered huskily in her ear, "Where?" She swallowed, feeling the familiar tingle deep in her stomach, and nodded towards his door. Harry led her into the dark room. He felt shakily for the lightswitch beside them on the wall. He flipped it up and the room came into view. Harry barely registered this, he was too nervous.

_**God, I hope that I can even come close to measuring up to Viktor**_ he thought. He was sure Hermione had slept with Krum when she had visited him, but Harry hadn't done anything more than make out with Ginny. Not that she hadn't been willing, but for some reason, _Harry_ had been distant about the subject then. It had only been when he had broken up with Ginny, that he realized that he wanted Hermione to be the first girl he slept with. In fact, he wanted Hermione to be the _only_ girl, for the rest of his life.

He turned to face her and swallowed anxiously. Her eyes were fixed on his, searching for something, then she turned and fled. He stood there, wondering, _**What just happened?**_ for a second as he heard her bedroom door slam shut. He went to her room and knocked on the door.

"Hermione? Are you O.K.?" He heard her sobbing on the other side. His heart fell, and he turned the handle. The door opened, and he looked around it to see her sitting on the far side of the bed, her back to him. "Hermione?" She only dropped her head lower onto her chest, and wrapped her arms around herself. Harry walked around the bed and knelt down in front of her, his heart aching as he saw the tears runnning down her cheeks. She turned away. "'Mione, please. What did I do?" The tears came down faster.

"You didn't do anything, Harry. I thought that I would be able to do this, but I..." She covered her face with her hands. Harry pulled them back down.

"Look at me, 'Mione." When she didn't, he let go of one of her hands to turn her face towards him. She closed her eyes to keep from seeing his hurt expression. "Hermione, we'll wait. I can wait until you're ready." She pulled away from his touch and stood up, walking over to the window.

"That's just it. I _am_ ready. I _want_ to sleep with you. I told you that last week. But you've been with Ginny and I...I've only..." She turned to face him, her arms going around her body again. "I'm still a virgin," she finished in a very soft whisper, not meeting his eyes. Harry rose from the floor. He hadn't heard what Hermione had said after the part about Ginny.

"What do you mean about Ginny?" She looked up at him finally. He was genuinely confused.

"She said that you had been with her." His expression didn't change. "You had slept with her." She lowered her head again. Harry's jaw dropped open in shock. He shook his head.

"No. I didn't." Her head snapped back up at his next words. "I've never slept with anyone. But haven't you, though?" Her tear streaked face became angry.

"What do you mean by that? Didn't you hear what I just said!" Harry shook his head uncertainly.

"I got stuck at what you said about Ginny," he said, holding up his hands in apology as she advanced forward, causing him to sit on the bed rather hard. He stared up at her angry face. "I'm sorry, Hermione. I just assumed that you had slept with Viktor when you visited him." Her face softened.

"Harry," she said, sitting next to him. "That was two years ago. I wasn't ready to sleep with anyone then, much less Viktor Krum." She smiled. "No, Harry. I'm still a virgin." Harry turned to face her, a small smile on his face as well.

"So am I." Hermione took one of his hands and brought it to her lips, kissing his fingers lightly, before squeezing them tightly with her own. He sqeezed back. "I _am_ sorry, 'Mione. I shouldn't have thought that about you. I know you better than that, and it was wrong of me." He tightened his grip on her fingers.

"There's something else, Harry. I don't want to get pregnant, and we told Laura that we'd be careful. I know a charm to prevent it, but as I've had no experience using it, I don't know if it will be successful or not." She appeared hurt as Harry chuckled softly at her.

"You want to know what else I told Laura when I gave her the second hug?" He stood and left the room. She sat there, staring at the door. She heard him go into his room, then he came back a minute later, a wrapped package in his hand. He returned to his seat and handed it to her. "I told her that I'd taken care of it." Hermione eyed the package, which was wrapped in a small paper bag. She opened it and peered inside, blushed slightly when she saw the contents, and turning the bag over, let the item fall into her lap. She picked up the Muggle contraceptive and read the back of the box.

_**Harry is willing to wear these, just to keep me safe**_ she thought happily. She smiled at him as another thought occured to her.

"Just one more thing, Harry. I need you to get your wand." He seemed confused but did as she asked. When he returned, she said, as she stood and got a book from its shelf and flipped through the pages, "I want you to cast the charm on me," and handed him the book. He took it, shocked for a minute, then looked down at the page, and up at her.

"But Hermione, you know I can't use magic out..." She stopped him with a finger to his lips.

"You're seventeen now, Harry." He grinned widely and kissed her fingertip. She dropped her hand.

"I am, aren't I? Today was my birthday." She sat back down next to him as he read the incantation. He glanced nervously at her every so often as he scanned the page, turned it and read the next one as well, then lay the book aside and turned to face her. He took a deep breath and held it for a second, then leveled his wand at Hermione's abdomen. His hand shook slightly as he said the incantation, "Protectus Conceptus," and they both watched as a pale blue light drifted from his wand tip to her stomach. Hermione felt a coolness enter her body, numbing her insides for a second.

"What was that?" Harry asked when she giggled at the sensation. She told him, and he checked the book. "That's what was supposed to happen," he told her gratefully, and relaxed. He hadn't noticed that he had been tense until that moment. Hermione got onto her knees and leaned forward towards Harry. He willingly lay back on the mattress and wrapped his arms around her when their lips met. He opened his mouth to allow her tongue entrance, mating it with his own, while her fingers slid down his sides to the belt around his waist.

She lifted her body slightly so that she could get her hands between them, and Harry shifted to give her more room as she undid his belt and the fastenings of his shorts. He gasped when she slid one small hand inside his boxers and took hold of him. His head went back, and Hermione trailed kisses down his chin and throat, then moved around to suckle on his earlobe. She felt his breathing speed up as she stroked his hardening length in time with her nibbles on his ear. He brought his hands up to her shoulders and gently pushed her away. He saw the hurt expression on her face as he sat up and smiled tenderly at her. He fastened the button on his shorts and swung his legs ever the side of the bed once more.

"What are you doing?" she asked as he stood up and headed to the door.

"I have a surprise for you. I'll be right back." And he was gone. She listened to his door shut, smiled, and got up herself.

_**I have a surprise for you, too, Mr. Potter**_ she thought as she hurried to her dresser and drew out a special purchase she had made while they were getting Harry's clothes the other week. She went into the bathroom, closed the door and stripped down, then slid the silky garment over her head. She stared at herself in the mirror for a minute, not believing that it was really her reflection she saw.

"Hermione?" She opened the door, peered aound it, and saw Harry standing by her bedroom door, wearing his new bathrobe. He turned his head as he heard the latch give. "Are you all right?" he asked. She nodded.

"Sit down on the bed, Harry. I have something to show you." He did as asked, and she stepped out into the bedroom. Harry's eyes nearly fell out of his head. Was _this_ his Hermione? She was wearing a deep purple negligée that showed more than it covered. It fell halfway to her knees and had slits all the way to her hips on both sides, and the bodice was so sheer and lowcut, there seemed no point to have it at all. She spun around in a slow circle, showing the back consisted almost entirely of a few fragile looking strings that crossed her creamy skin, trailing down to the swell of her backside where the garment just barely covered her. Harry felt lightheaded for a second as his body reacted immediately. As she moved toward him, he watched the outline of her nipples strain against the fabric, which was already skin tight on her.

"Where did you get this?" he whispered hoarsly. "I bought it while you and Aunt Laura were paying for your jeans. Remember that I had to go to the loo?" He nodded, suddenly unable to speak. "Well, on the way back, I nipped over to the lingerie department and used some of my summer money to buy this. Do you like it?" She spun again and smiled at him. He nodded once more, then stood. He opened his arms and she stepped into them.

"I have something to show you, too," he said when he had released her. He sat her down on the edge of her bed and handed her the end of the tie to his bathrobe. She looked up at him curiously. "Go ahead, pull it." She did, and his robe fell open, revealing his lightly tanned skin enderneath, along with a black piece of cloth covering his groin. Hermione pushed the edges of his robe back and gasped when she saw what it was that he was wearing. The scrap was smaller than the swimsuit he had worn _that_ Sunday. And it appeared to be even tighter as well, even though it was made completely of a soft stretchy material.

"Is this the pair that I was..." she turned her face up to him as she ran her hands across the bulge that strained the snug lycra. He groaned softly as he nodded.

"When did you get them?" Harry slid the robe off his shoulders, letting it pool on the floor around his feet.

"The same day. Only when I said that I was going to the loo, I headed straight for these." He groaned again as she cupped him. "You keep that up, and we are going to _have_ to wait," he said. Hermione giggled slyly.

"Why?" she inquired, leaning forward to tongue his erection through the briefs. Her response was a primal growl as Harry pulled her off the bed and captured her mouth with his own.

When he had to let her go due to the need for air, he replied, "Because I'll lose it, and explode before we actually do anything. Now, tell me how to get this thing off of you." Hermione raised her arms above her head.

"Go ahead, pull it," she said, repeating his earlier order. He grinned wickedly and grasped the skirt of the negligée, pulling it over Hermione's head and dropped it to the floor behind her. Harry dipped his head and lapped at one of her erect nipples, feeling her quiver under his mouth. Her hands threaded through his hair. She gripped more tightly when she felt his kisses trailing down her body, over her flat stomach, to the nest of soft close cropped curls that covered the treasure he seemed to be desperately searching for. He spread her folds apart and found it with his mouth, and she arched her back as he followed each stroke of his tongue with one from the fingers that were at her opening. She quickly became so sensitive to his touches, that when he slid a finger inside her, she screamed her pleasure and came over his hand and tongue.

Harry pulled away and stood up, wrapping her in his arms to keep her from falling. He sat the both of them on the bed once more, lying her back on it as she struggled to regain her senses. She stared blearily up at him, her eyes glazed from her orgasm.

"That was incredible," she said when she had regained her ability to speak. She sat up slowly and reached for the garment that kept her from finally seeing all of Harry Potter. (She had seen him, of course, when she had given him the blowjob, but he had still been wearing that tantalizing swimsuit.) He put up no resistance as she grasped the briefs at his waist, and pulled them down, being mindful of his erection. They became caught on his bum for just a moment, until he lifted his hips, then slid easily, and she threw them on the floor with their other garments before pushing Harry flat onto the mattress. He gazed up at her body from this position and smiled.

"I know I've been telling you this all week, but you are beautiful." Hermione flushed.

"Harry, that's not true, and you know it." Harry's smile turned into a scowl.

"It _is_ true. You've been spending too much time listening to that idiotic prat, Malfoy. The day manager at the store even said that you are _hot_." He flipped the two of them over so that she was now pinned beneath him. "Besides which, you have this fabulous body, that, I might add, I had no idea you were hiding under your school robes." He ran one hand over her breasts and down to the apex of her legs. Hermione giggled as his fingers skimmed lightly over her ribs. She became serious after a second, looking up at him with a worried frown on her face. "What is it?" he asked, concerned. She sat up and crossed her arms over her chest protectively.

"I have to tell you something." She dropped her eyes for a second, then met his once more. "The first night you were here, I went downstairs after we had gone to bed. Now, I wasn't spying on you or anything, but, when I came back up, I heard you..." she gestured to his lower body. Harry glanced down to his lap, and knew immediately she was admitting to being the one that had been outside his door that night. He _hadn't_ been imagining things!

"Oh thank God!" Hermione's brown eyes widen in surprise. "It was _you_! All this time I was worried that if someone _had_ been out in the hall, it was Laura. That, and at the time, I was hoping no one was there and I was hearing things." He paused for a second. "Did it disgust you?" he asked softly, now embarrassed to realize she had heard him in a very private moment. One that he hadn't meant anyone to hear. She smiled.

"No. In fact, it was a major turn on. I had to run to my room when you got up, because I didn't know that you felt this way about me, but when I was behind my door and you got into the shower, I did the same thing." She blushed at having admitted this to him.

"Were you saying my name during it?" he asked. She nodded, her blush increasing dramatically.

"Did you hear me?" she asked. He shook his head.

"Right before I...um...well, sorry if I make it sound crude,...right before I came," He looked to see if the word bothered her. It didn't seem to, so he continued. "I was whispering _your_ name over and over. Hermione, I have to make a confession to you, now." He lay her flat on the mattress once more and covered her body with kisses as he admitted, "I have been in love with, and wanted to make love to you since second year. When you were recovering from the Polyjuice potion. And I bought the condoms in case we ever got enough time alone to use them." He looked thoughtful for a second. "Guess I wasted my money though, now that I know there is a charm." He started running his fingers up the insides of her thighs.

Hermione felt on the bed beside her as Harry reached her dripping womanhood, found the box, and pulled it to her. "Harry." He raised his eyes to her face. She held it out to him. "It's time." He took the box and sat up next to her, a curious look on his face. She shrugged. "Don't want you to have wasted your money, and it couldn't hurt to be _extra_ careful." He nodded. She watched, trembling slightly, as he opened it and withdrew the two foil wrapped condoms it contained. He seperated them and lay one on the floor, then picked up the box.

"I don't want to screw this up," he explained when she gave him a curious smile. Harry read the package, then dropped it onto the floor as well. He followed the instructions exactly, and turning to Hermione, removed his glasses and lay them on her bedside table. She lay against her pillows and pulled him to her, drawing his head down to kiss him.

"I trust you, Harry." He nodded nervously.

"I just don't want to hurt you." She kissed him again, and shifted so that he was positioned to enter her.

"There's nothing you can do to stop it, love. It almost always hurts the woman the first time. But don't worry, it won't be for more than a minute or two." She reached down to take hold of his hips. "Please, Harry. Make love to me." She opened her legs wider to give him room. He looked down between their bodies, then, moving very carefully, he slid the head of his member into her. He quickly looked up at her to see if she was in any discomfort. She was starting to pant slightly in anticipation. "I'm fine. Please don't stop." Harry nodded and pushed into her a little more, never taking his eyes from hers. He reached a barrier and stilled once more. "You have to break through it," she said at his surprised look.

"Is that what's going to hurt you?" She nodded.

"It's just going to be a little tear, Harry. I'll be fine." When he still hesitated, she wrapped her legs around his waist and pulled him fully inside. He gasped as he was surrounded by her body all at once, saw her bite her lip in pain, and made to withdraw from her. "Don't you dare move!" She gripped his hips more tightly. "Well, of course you can move, just don't pull out, O.K.?" She relaxed and he noticed the sheath around him was tight as a vice, and when he cautiously started to move in the reflexive actions of this age old dance, he found that it was like liquid velvet as well.

The feeling caused him to emit a low gutteral groan and bury his face in her hair. Hermione groaned as well as he became more sure of himself with every thrust. She felt another orgasm coming slowly but insistantly closer. She raised her hips to meet Harry's. He rose up onto his elbows and met her eyes. Her breath caught as she once more saw the smoky shade of emerald, which was fast becoming her favorite color, her back arched, and she screamed as she started the fall into her orgasm.

Harry's eyes closed, his jaw clenched, then dropped open and he let out an impossibly loud roar as his own followed soon after. She felt him shudder violently for a few more seconds, then he collapsed on top of her. She took his full weight again gratefully. He rested his head on her shoulder, waiting for his breath to slow. After a minute or two, he moved off her body and sat up next to her. When Hermione felt him withdrawing from her body, it was like a knifeblade in her heart. She wanted him back where he belonged, wanted him back home. She rolled onto her side, watching as he removed the condom and stood to throw it away in the bin by her desk. He then went into the bathroom, and she heard the water running in her sink as he cleaned himself up. When he returned to the bed a few minutes later, he lay down next to Hermione and gathered her into his arms, kissing her on top of her head.

"Thank you, Hermione," he said as she snuggled next to him.

"Thank _you_, Harry," she said as they started to doze off. "And happy birthday. I love you."

He gave her a small hug and replied, "I love you, too."


	18. Discovering Secret & Encounter At Park

Harry Potter And The Summer Of Surprise-Chapter 18

Discovering A Secret & Encounter At The Park

Laura smiled to herself as she entered the house. Jonella had delivered a beautiful, healthy baby girl three hours after arriving at the hospital. She had named her friend as godmother and had asked for Laura's permission to give her middle name of Alishah to the child and then to Laura's surprise, Jonella wanted her baby's middle name to be Jean, just like Hermione. She halted at the kitchen doorway. It looked as if no one had been in there yet this morning. She looked out the back door. The yard was equally empty. Laura turned and looked at the fridge to see if they had left her a note, but there was only the blank surface of the door. She turned and headed back out into the hall, and headed up the staircase to her room. When she reached the top of the stairs, she saw that Harry's door was open. She looked inside and saw that his bed was made.

_**Well, he's up early. Maybe they called him into work**_ she thought hopefully.

She didn't want to think about what they might have been doing the night before. Although Harry had reasured her that he had taken care of it and that they would be careful, she was worried about her niece. She had loved Harry since second year, and Laura didn't want her to be hurt if the two of them slept together and Harry decided he didn't want to be with her anymore. She didn't know how Hermione would take the rejection if that happened. Her niece had verbalized that very question during their planning of Harry's party.

"Harry says that he loves me, and I know that I 'want' to sleep with him, but what if we go to bed with each other and he changes his mind? I think that would just about destroy me." Laura had reasured her that it wouldn't happen, but she herself had been hurt that way. She now bit her lip as she noticed that Hermione's room was also open. She hesitated for a minute and headed over to it, taking a deep breath before looking inside. She almost averted her eyes before she realized that even though they were both completely naked, she wasn't able to see anything that would be an embarrassment to Harry or Hermione.

They were both asleep on the bed, Harry on his back, and Hermione on his far side, covering his lower body by having drapped one leg over it. Harry shifted position and tightened the arm that was around Hermione's shoulders, moving his head to kiss the top of hers in his sleep.

Hermione snuggled closer to him. His eyelids started fluttering, and Laura backed away from the door, knowing he was waking up. She tiptoed to her own room, listening to him say Hermione's name softly.

She answered sleepily, "Good morning, Harry." Laura smiled at the contentment in their voices, then started as she heard Harry's sharp intake of breath, followed by a soft groan.

"You keep that up, and we're not going to be leaving this room until lunch," he said seductively. Hermione chuckled.

"That's the idea, love." Silence for a moment, then another chuckle, this time from Harry.

"I _have_ to get up." he said. Hermione let out a little squeak of surprise. "Sorry, 'Mione. Didn't mean to almost drop you on the floor, but my bladder is just about fit to burst."

Hermione giggled, then let a drawn out "Mmmmmmm." She giggled again, muffled this time. It sounded as if she had buried her face in the pillow.

"What?" Harry asked.

"Nice ass, Harry." Harry laughed as well. Laura had to cover her mouth to keep them from hearing her joining in their mirth as Harry closed the bathroom door.

She moved quietly to the top of the stairs. "Anybody home?" she called out. She heard a gasp and a mad scramble from the bedroom. Hermione stuck her head out into the hallway a second later, shrugging into her bathrobe.

"You're home! Is Jonella all right?" Laura smiled and nodded.

"She had a perfectly healthy baby girl. Her name is Alishah Jean Miller. The hospital is calling Travis this morning to let him know he has a daughter. Is it safe to come down there yet?" Hermione cocked her head to one side, confusion in her eyes. "I've been home for almost half an hour, Hermione. I even know that Harry is in your bathroom." Hermione blushed prettily and looked over her shoulder for a second.

"Well, he was," she giggled. Harry's head appeared next to Hermione's, then he stepped out into the hall when he saw Laura by the stairs. Laura was happy to see that he had also put his robe on before doing so.

"I was going to offer to take the two of you out for breakfast to celebrate Jonella's baby arriving, but if you would rather not 'leave the room until lunch', I'll understand. By the way, Harry," she added at their furious blushes, "From what I saw earlier, I take it that you two are now in a physical relationship." Harry nodded. "Did you keep your promise?" Again he nodded.

"I would never do anything to intentionally hurt Hermione." He looked towards her and added, "I would give my life for her if I had to." Hermione smiled slightly at him, tears forming in her brown eyes. _**And **_**I **_**would give mine for you, Harry**_ she thought. _**But I hope it never comes to you having to die to protect me, or anyone else.**_ Laura cleared her throat, drawing their attention back to reality and their gazes back to her.

"What about breakfast? It's going on nine." Harry's eyes lit up.

"I have an idea. _I'll_ buy breakfast." Laura started to shake her head. "No, wait, hear me out. You are always paying for what I eat, even when Hermione and I went to the restaurant, and I was supposed to pay for that. You have even bought me more clothes than I've ever had in my life." He took Hermione's hand and drew her next to him, kissing her softly. "And _this_ woman has made me the happiest I've ever been in my life. Now, I have the money from my last two checks. I told you that I was going to pay you back for the shoes and the other stuff that I bought that day. I feel like I'm sponging off the two of you. Please let me pay for breakfast. We can go anywhere you want, or we can just go to the store and get the makings for whatever we want." His green eyes were pleading with her now.

"Oh, all right," she agreed at last. "Get dressed first, then we'll figure out where to go. Harry grinned and hurried into his room, and Hermione did the same with hers. Laura smiled and headed into her own room to change, then met the other two at the bottom of the stairs.

"That was fast!" she exclaimed. Harry grinned again.

"It's a lot easier now that I'm allowed to use magic anytime I want to." He pulled up one leg of his shorts, revealing his wand sitting in the brand new holster from Moody that had been strapped to his thigh. He pulled the wand out and waved it toward the immitation plant that was in a pot at the foot of the stairs, making flowers appear on the silk leaves. He waved it again and the flowers were gone. Harry replaced the wand in its hiding spot.

"Won't that be difficult to use in the winter?" Laura asked. "I mean how are you to get to your wand when you need it if you're wearing your school uniform? People will get the wrong impression if you have to undo your trousers all the time." Harry started laughing.

"I get what you mean. But fortunately, the holster is enchanted to fit anywhere I put it. Get your mind out of the gutter, Hermione." He had seen her eyes glaze over thoughtfully out of the corner of his eye. Hermione giggled.

"You said _anywhere_." Harry gave her a look, smiling to show that she hadn't been able to embarrass him.

"You _know_ what I meant." He turned back to Laura, rolling his eyes slightly as he thought _**Now I've done it. I've turned Hermione into Harry Potter's Sexually Obsessed Monster.**_ "I can attatch it to my calf, arm, or even put it around my waist." he told his girlfriend's aunt. "Now the only thing I need to do is pass my Apparition test." Laura looked confused.

"That's how everyone got here and left yesterday." Hermione reminded her as they walked out the door. "Professor McGonagall talked the Ministry into making the house a safe Appartition point in the Muggle world," she added softly.

They looked up as an owl screeched above Harry. He held out his hand and the bird dropped an envelope into it before taking off once more. It was addressed to him, so he slit it open and drew out the parchment from inside. The letter amused him. It was about what they had just been discussing. He read it out loud as he settled into the backseat of the car.

-Dear Mr. Potter,

This letter is to inform you of your elegibility for Apparition testing set for 22 August. Prior to the test, you are required to report to three classes to brush up on what you were instructed during your last school term. The first class is at two o'clock 5 August in the Department Of Magical Transportation office in the Ministry of Magic. The others are at the same time 12 and 19 August. Please be fifteen mintues early for the first lesson as personal information is needed.

Sincerely,

Rufus Scrimgeour

Minister of Magic-

"Personal information?" Harry asked Hermione

.

"That means your height, weight, date of birth, and so on. You think that they would know all this. I mean, is there anyone in the wizarding world that _doesn't_ know that much about you?" Laura chuckled as she turned a corner.

"From what I hear, no." Harry frowned.

"How am I to get to the lessons? The Ministry's in London." Laura reached back between the seats and patted his knee.

"Hermione can take you." Hermione and Harry both looked at her in surprise.

"You would let me drive your Mercedes?" she asked. Her aunt nodded.

"And you can take Harry out to the countyside and teach him how to drive as well. I'll just take the other car." Harry still looked shocked, but now it was towards Hermione.

"I got my driver's license just as the summer started." she explained as Laura pulled into the drive of a small house.

"What's this?" Hermione asked as they got out of the vehicle.

"It's where we're eating breakfast. C'mon." Laura walked up to the door and rang the bell. The other two joined her just as the door was opened by...

"Charlie?"

Harry and Hermione sat next to each other on the couch in Charlie Weasley's living room. Harry looked out of the corner of his eye at the kitchen where Charlie and Laura were still finishing their coffee and laughing softly as they talked.

"Did you know anything about this?" he asked Hermione. She shook her head.

"I saw them talking together at your party yesterday, but I had no idea that they _fancied_ each other. It's a little fast isn't it?" Harry shrugged.

"Not to them, apparently." He turned his body to face her. "Well, if they're going to talk in the kitchen, _I_ want to talk to _you_." Hermione looked at him.

"All right. What about?" A smile lit up Harry's face.

"A few things. One- Why didn't you tell me you had gotten a driver's license until this morning, two- even though I know I'm supposed to just let it go about that Sunday, _why_, and three," he leaned in to kiss her and finished so that only she could hear him, "Would you ever do it again?" She smiled as he sat back to await her answer.

"O.K. I didn't tell you about my license because I hadn't really thought about it what with you coming to stay with me and Aunt Laura, the trouble with Natanya, and then last night." A slow smile spread across her face. "In answer to the other two questions, not neccessarily in the same order that you asked, yes, I would do it again." Harry's eyes darkened and he had to shift position to make his tightening shorts less uncomfortable. "As a matter of fact, I was going to this morning until you had to pee." Another shift in position from Harry. "And finally, I _am_ going to tell you why I did that in the first place." She looked to the kitchen, her aunt and Charlie were still immersed in their own conversation. Hermione held up a finger, stood and headed to the doorway.

"Aunt Laura, Harry and I are going to go for a walk. We'll be back soon, alright?" Laura nodded. "Have fun," she said.

Hermione waved good-bye to Charlie and returned to Harry. "Let's go."

The two of them left the house and started walking to a nearby park. It was desserted and looked as if the gardener had allowed the flora to go to seed. Hermione spied a bench that was set in a small alcove and was blocked from view in the front by a large overgrown hydrangia bush. She led Harry over to it, slid past the bush and sat down, looking up at the walls on the three sides of their seat. They were about eight feet tall and solid, able to block the eyes of anyone that might come along on the pathway through the park. She patted the seat next to her. Harry inched into the enclosure and sat.

"Now, the _real_ reason I gave you a blow job is because I thought it was the only way that I was going to see you in that way. You know, naked and aroused? I also thought that it was the only way that I would be able to touch that part of you. Remember, at the time I still didn't know that you loved me. I thought you wanted Ginny. So, when I had the chance to get you hot and bothered, I took it." She looked at him. "Now, can I ask you a question?" Harry nodded. "Why did you want to return the favor after our dinner date?" He looked down at the grass thoughtfully for a second.

"I think probably the same reason. But not to the point of Ginny," he laughed. "I thought _you_ wanted Ron or Viktor." Hermione smiled ruefully.

"If only our lives were as easy to understand as magic is." Harry chuckled.

"Magic easy to understand? Try explaining to a first year Muggleborn what Transfiguration or Apparating is. I would be totally lost. As a matter of fact, I _was_ lost." He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and kissed the tip of her nose. "But I do inderstand that what I feel for you is love. And what you feel right now is my..." She cut him off by capturing his lips with hers, and pushed him against the wall next to him. He moaned into her mouth as she stroked him through his shorts, then pushed her hand away so that he could undo the fastenings.

"You read my mind," Hermione said as he pulled her hand back and slid it into his boxers. She wrapped her fingers around him and stroked slowly, but forcefully. She left kisses along his chin, down his throat and chest until she reached her goal. Harry helped her get his shorts and underwear down to his knees and he looked around to be sure that no one was coming anywhere near them. Hermione pulled his wand out of the holster and handed it to him.

"What am I to do with this?" he asked breathlessly.

"Well, for one thing, cast 'Silencio' and a Muggle repelling charm around the area. Then 'Obscurio' as well." Harry looked down at her.

"Obscurio? What's that do?" His eyes rolled back into his head as she licked the underside of his member.

"It makes it so that the Muggles will only see the hydrangia bush. They won't see or hear us." She took the head of his cock into her mouth and sucked lightly on the tip. Harry stammered out the three charms, then shoved his wand back into the sheath on his leg before burying his hands in Hermione's wild hair as she took him deep into her mouth.

"Oh my God!" was all that he was able to say for the next minute or two. Hermione backed away from him only long enough to remove his lower clothing completely and got one leg on either side of the bench, then resumed her mission to drive him absolutely mad with desire.

"Hermione," Harry gasped a few minutes later, "I'm not complaining or anything, but I want you to stop, please." She looked up at him with questioning eyes. "I want to try something with you. If you'll let me." She sat up and nodded hesitantly. "It's nothing that will hurt you, I promise. I saw one of Dudley's magazines lying on the floor of his room right after we left school for the summer. It was open to a page that showed a man and woman in a very interesting position. I think the caption underneath called it a 'sixty-nine'.

"What we do is, I'm on my back," Hermione stood to allow him room. He slid down until he could lie flat on the bench. "And you are above me. But we need to get _your _shorts off as well." He sat back up and helped her to remove them and the light yellow bikinis she had underneath, then lay back down and moved her into position, straddling his head, facing his knees. "Now you come down here." She hesitated.

"But, Harry, that means that I would be basically _sitting_ on your face." He chuckled.

"That's the idea, Love. Now come down here." She lowered herself down and squirmed when she felt Harry's warm breath hit her wet center.

"Now," she heard him say, "You continue what you were doing, and I'll take care of what I'm about to do." He touched the tip of his tongue to her nub as she was bending over him, and she swallowed him whole when her mouth opened in a gasp. Harry's hips bucked underneath her when her teeth grazed his sensitive skin. She pulled her mouth off him once more.

"I'm sorry, Harry. In the two times that I have done this, my teeth have caught you as many." She kissed the satiny skin of his penis.

"It's alright, Hermione. Just don't let it get into a habit, because that does hurt a bit." He nibbled lightly on her clit, then ran his tongue to her dripping tunnel. She arched her back, closed her eyes and moaned as he slid his tongue in and out, then moved her own over his entire cock before drawing it back into the wet heat of her mouth. Harry groaned against her clit. Hermione ground her chest lightly into his stomach, relishing the friction that her bra was creating against her erect nipples. The tension was building in her loins to an almost unbearable height. Harry must have sensed this, as he licked the length between her opening and clit once more, then fastened his mouth on the tiny nub and began to suckle lightly on it. She felt the tightness start to go and she moaned her release around Harry's manhood, sucking the length fiercely, wanting to do the same for him. Harry had other ideas, however. He grasped her around the waist and lifted her off his body, chuckling at her squeak of surprise. He stood her next to the bench and sat up.

"What are you doing, Harry?" she asked. He stood, drew out his wand and transfigured the bench into a fluffy feather mattress.

"For one thing, making this a little more comfortable." He sat back down and held out a hand to her. "Now come here." She took it and sank to her knees next to him. He started to unbutton her blouse and kissed the skin that he exposed as each slid out of its button hole. He smiled up at her when he saw the front clasp of her bra and touched the tip of his wand to it. The undergarment fell open and Harry immediately latched on to one of her erect nipples. Hermione finished unbuttoning her shirt and slid it and her bra off, letting them fall to the ground. She kicked off her sandals and pulled away from Harry.

"We have sort of a problem here. I'm now completely naked, and although for all intents and purposes, you don't have to remove anything else, it's not fair for you to be able to get to my chest, and I can't get to yours." Harry tugged his shirt over his head.

"Better?" he asked as he removed his sandals and the holster. "Now we're even." Hermione smiled and moved down to lick Harry's flat nipples. He sucked in air in a hiss at the new sensation. "Does it feel like this to you? It's sending electric shocks down my spine and between my legs."

She bit him lightly and lifted her head. Harry slid one hand down her back, over her hip and between her legs, stroking her wet slit gently with one finger.

"Oooohhhhhhhhh," she moaned as she attempted to answer his question. "Yes. It does the same thing to me, and...aaaaaaahhhhhhh... _that_ feels wonderful. Please don't stop." Harry slid his index finger inside her vagina. "Mmmmmmmmm. That feels even better." She spread her knees farther apart and came down to capture his nipple in her mouth once more. Her hand slid down to grasp his erection, smearing the drops of precum that had pooled on his stomach around the head. Harry let his eyes roll back in his head.

_**This isn't enough**_ he thought and removed his hand, sat Hermione up and looked around for his wand, which he had dropped when he was removing the rest of his clothes.

"Harry." He turned his head to face Hermione, who was holding out the other condom he had dropped on the floor the night before. He took it, but as he spied the handle sticking out of his shirt, he tossed the condom aside and grabbed the wand, and pointed it at Hermione's stomach.

Remembering what he had read on the second page last night, Harry muttered, "Integer Protectus Conceptus." Instead of the pale blue light, there was a dark green-black one in its place. Hermione was shocked as she felt the cool sensation followed by a searing heat. She clenched her arms around her waist for a few seconds until it ended. She looked up at Harry.

"What did you just do?" she asked accusingly. Harry held up a hand and pointed his wand at his groin.

"Integer Sterilis." A pale red light emitted from the wand tip and entered Harry's body. He clenched his jaw and closed his eyes tightly as he felt sharp pains center around his testicles. They, too, passed after a few seconds and he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Did you read the page after the one with the contraceptive charm?" he panted. Hermione shook her head.

"I had found what I needed,.why would I have read the next page? Now 'what' did you do to me and what did you just do to yourself?" Harry gave her a slight smile.

"_I_ did read the next page, if you remember. It gave a similar charm that rendered the person it was cast on absolutely sterile." Her eyes widened in disbelief.

"Do you realize what that means, Harry Potter? You just took away my chance of ever having children! I _did_ want to have them someday, you know!" She turned away from him, stood up and picked up her shorts. Harry stood as well and wrapped his arms around her waist to stop her.

"Hold on, now." She tried to pull away, but he tightened his grip. He whispered in her ear as she struggled against him, "It _is_ reversable." She stilled in his arms and looked back at him.

"Are you sure?" He nodded and kissed her cheek.

"I made double sure." He released her and she faced him once more, still holding her clothes in case what he was telling her made her even more upset. "I bought the condoms when I didn't know there _was_ a contraceptive charm. But there were only two in the box. I don't want to have everyone where I work teasing me about something that is really none of their business. So when you told me about the spell, and I read the page, I checked the next one to see if there was one that would last a little longer. Fortunately, there was. It lasts as long as we want it to, and to reverse it, all we have to do is use the counter charm." She looked disbelieving.

"I can't belive that you, Hermione Granger, didn't do all your research." Harry chuckled and held out his arms in surrender. "If you don't believe me, then why would I have used the male charm on myself?" Hermione's eyes dropped to his crotch for a split second, then back to his face. He nodded slowly. "I would never do anything to hurt you. I said that this morning, and I don't feel any different about you now than I did then. I'll even still wear the other condom if you want, although I know from what happened to me that I won't need to." She shook her head, a small smile forming on her mouth. "You still angry at me?" She shook her head again. "All right, then. Now come here." She moaned and ran into his open arms, then devoured his mouth in a kiss that knocked them both back down to the mattress. She grabbed hold of his shoulders and pushed herself up, straddling his hips.

"Does this mean we don't have to worry about _protection_ anymore?" she asked, grinding her pelvis into his. Harry moaned and brought his hands up to her hips as he bucked up into her.

"Yes. it means exactly that." Hermione gave him a wicked grin, lifted her hips, reached between them to take hold of his penis, and slid her body back down onto it.

Harry, having only felt the inside of her when he had the condom on the night before, almost shot his load then. But Hermione still had hold of him at the base and gripped him tightly, applying pressure in just the right spot. Harry felt the waves of an orgasm hit him, but there was no release, and he remained as hard as he had been before. He groaned in pleasure/pain, looking up at Hermione with lust hazed eyes.

"Not yet, Mr. Potter. I'm not quite finished with you." She bent down and removed his glasses, set them aside where they wouldn't be damaged and thrust her tongue into Harry's mouth. He met it with his own, drawing a sharp intake of air just before their lips met as Hermione started moving above him. Harry realized that this was his fantasy come to life as she broke the kiss and raised upright once more, continuing to move back and forth on his erection. He grasped her hips and helped to increase their pace. He bucked his hips, causing her to gasp when his pubic hair grazed her clit. "Do that again," she pleaded. He smiled and did as she asked. "Ooooohhhhhh, Harry! Where did you learn to do that?" she panted as she ground down against his pelvis in response.

"Learned what? I'm just following instincts that come with knowing that...OH MY GOD!" Hermione had just leaned backward, causing Harry to push deeper inside her. She helped him to sit up, and he wrapped his arms around her, seeking out one of her nipples.

"Knowing that _what_?" she asked, panting heavily between each word. She felt his cock start to throb inside her walls and buried her face in his sweaty hair. His tongue flitted over one hard peak, then the other before he answered.

"This is my fantasy. You above me, surrounding my cock with your tight body." He fell back onto the mattress with a sigh. Hermione lowered herself on top him, still moving him in and out of her tunnel. She felt another orgasm coming closer as her clit was constantly assaulted by the hair around his base now. She engulfed his mouth as it hit, muffling her loud moan. As her hips slammed down into him when she came, Harry's bucked up and he felt as if he were about to die with pleasure when he errupted with his own orgasm shooting deep into her womb, completely worthless due to the earlier charms. Hermione collapsed her full weight onto his chest as their bodies relaxed, and waited for her breathing to slow. She rested her head on Harry's sweat slickened chest, listening to his rapid heartbeat. For a few minutes, the couple lay in absolute silence, then Hermione slid off Harry and rose to her knees next to him, gathering their clothes.

"We have to get back to Charlie's house," she said as she handed him his boxers and put on her own underwear. Harry dressed quietly, watching her as she did the same. "What is it? Why do you keep staring at me?" she asked nervously as he fastened the holster around his thigh and pulled his shorts leg down over it. He took her into his arms and kissed her.

"I wouldn't have believed it possible, but you are even more beautiful after sex, you know that?" He kissed her again when she blushed. "I love you, Hermione Granger." She looked up into his eyes, her own shining with joy.

"I love you, too, Harry Potter. Now let's get going." She removed the charms that Harry had placed on the alcove. The mattress was returned to a bench and the two lovers walked hand in hand out of the park back to Charlie's house.


	19. Confrontation With The Dursleys

Harry Potter And The Summer Of Surprise-Chapter 19

Confrontation With The Dursleys

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter.

The day before his first Apparition class, Harry was standing at his lane ringing out his last three orders before he went home. He finished the first and the second, then got the nastiest surprise of the day. He looked up to greet the person that had stepped in front of him, and saw it was his uncle. His aunt and cousin were standing nearby as well.

"Hello, Mr. Dursley," Harry said as he started to scan out the groceries on the belt to his right. His bagger was called away and Uncle Vernon moved closer to Harry so that only he could hear him.

"I don't know how you did it without that stick of yours, but if I find out that you picked the lock on the door, I will personally deliver you to a maximum security prison." Harry met Vernon's eyes.

"I don't know what you're talking about. I haven't the slightest idea of how to pick a lock." (He was lying of course, having done so to the cupboard under the stairs before third year so that he would be able to do his homework, but there was no reason to let the Dursleys know that.) He went back to scanning items, reached for a box of Dudley's favorite cereal (Of course, _most_ cereals were Dudley's favorite.), and Vernon trapped his arm painfully against the metal bar that lined the belt. Harry gasped and looked back at his uncle's furious purple face.

"You broke into our house, boy. You did it somehow, and I'm going to prove it." Harry wrenched his arm away from Vernon's grip savagely. Petunia, surprisingly, gasped with horror at the bruise that was now forming around her nephew's wrist.

"And how do you intend to explain the fact that you left me with nowhere to go for a week? Leaving me to sleep on a park bench, perhaps?" He saw Dudley smirk at this and his aunt raised a hand to her mouth.

"You said you didn't touch any of our things," Vernon hissed dangerously.

"And I didn't." (Harry knew this also wasn't entirely true. The tape from the answering machine sat in the white box that McGonagall had added to his trunk when he was throwing all his belongings into it that night.) He still held his uncle's eyes, daring him to prove otherwise.

"Is there a problem, Harry?" Joe asked, coming over to the end of the lane. Harry looked at the day manager.

"No. I'm fine." Joe nodded, though his face said that he didn't believe a word of what Harry had said.

"Well, your bagger seems to have left you, so I'll bag these up and get you out of here a little bit faster, all right?" Harry agreed and said nothing else to his uncle until he had to tell him the total of the order.

"Petunia, take care of it. Come along, Dudley." The two of them took their order and left, nearly knocking down Hermione as she entered the store to pick up something that they were missing from dinner before she drove Harry home. She looked at him to see if everything was all right. He nodded to her and she moved off into the store to get what she had come for. Joe walked away as Petunia took out her checkbook and wrote one out for the amount. Harry took it and ran it through the system, then put it into the drawer before handing her the reciept.

"Have a nice day," he said shortly. As he turned to leave, his aunt touched his arm.

"Wait," she said softly. Harry turned back to face her warily. Petunia looked him over. "You seem to be doing well." He nodded. "Harry, I need to talk to you. Is there any way that you could meet me tomorrow? Not at the house of course. I know you don't want to be there, and at any rate, I don't want Dudley to hear what I have to say." Harry shook his head to her dismay. "Please, Harry. I have to explain something..." He cut her off.

"If you want to talk to me, fine," he said softly. "But I can't do it tomorrow. My girlfriend is taking me to London for a class that I have to take to get my Apparition license." To his surprise, she didn't flinch at the mention of anything related to the magical world, but raised her eyebrows at his words.

"You have a girlfriend now?" Harry bristled.

"Is that so hard to believe?" he said through gritted teeth. His aunt shook her head.

"No, it's just that you never seemed to have any interest in girls during the summer. Vernon was starting to believe that you were homosexual." Harry's face darkened with anger for a second, then he saw Hermione had come back up to the front of the store and went to the closest open line to make sure that he was going to be O.K.

He smiled at her to show that he was fine. Petunia saw this and looked over her shoulder. "Is that her?" she asked.

"Yes," he replied shortly, expecting a nasty remark about Hermione's hair or her looks. But again, his aunt surprised him.

"She's lovely." She faced him once again and smiled at his expression of shock. "Could you give me some idea of when I _can_ talk to you?" Harry ripped off a slip of paper from the register tape. He wrote down a payphone number near to the library a few blocks from Laura's house and handed it to his aunt.

"That's not the number of where I'm staying. I don't know if I can trust you, and until I believe that I can, that's all you'll get. I'll be there at seven the day after tomorrow. My bus stop is right next to it, and I can talk to you then." He looked over her shoulder. "You'd better go. Uncle Vernon's coming for you. Oh, and he shouldn't assume things about anyone's sexuality. It just makes an _ass_ out of him." Harry noted that Petunia smiled with amusement for a second as he turned and walked away to the back room to clock out. He heard his uncle's voice asking what was taking so long, and his aunt replied that she had been trying to see if she could get Harry to confess about the tape he had stolen from their house. He waited until he was sure they were gone, then joined Hermione, who was next in the line she was standing in.

The cashier looked at Hermione enviously. She had made it very clear to everyone that she had a crush on Harry from the day he started work at the store. Harry had been flattered, but knew that his heart belonged to one person, and she was standing right next to him.

"What was that all about?" she asked as she paid for her items. Harry shook his head.

"Nothing to worry about. Are you ready to go?" She held up the bag containing her purchase and smiled, taking his hand. They walked out of the store and Hermione, looking up at the car for a second, stopped short and released Harry's hand to dig in her pocket. She drew out the car keys and handed them to him.

"You drive," she said simply. Harry swallowed uneasily. He had only driven Laura's cars out in the countryside so far. This would be the first time he would be driving in town. She noticed his discomfort and nodded behind him. He looked over his shoulder and saw that right next to Laura's midnight blue Camaro that she had brought over from her trip to the United States a few years ago, was his uncle's car, and inside were his aunt and cousin, while Vernon put the last of the bags into the trunk. Harry turned back to Hermione with horror in his green eyes.

"Are you _kidding_ me?" he whispered softly to her. She took his hand again and kissed the knuckles of each finger.

"You are a very good driver, Harry," she said.

"Yeah, out in the country. I haven't driven in the city before." She saw that Vernon was now staring at the two of them while they talked, so she put her hands around the back of Harry's neck and drew his head down to kiss him, turning the both of them around so that she could lead him to the car when they finished.

Harry heard Dudley's "Eeeewwww!" and thought _**That's **_**really**_** original.**_

His inner voice replied _**Yeah. And are you going to chicken out or show him that you can drive now while he's still in the backseat like a little baby? **_Harry grinned as Hermione pulled away from him and took his hand again.

He leaned down and whispered against her ear, "Let's show them what I do when they're not around."

He swung her into his arms and proceeded to carry her to the passenger side of the Camaro, opened the door and placed her on the front seat. Hermione giggled as he shut the door and walked around to the driver's side, grinning widely at his uncle as he did so and got into the car. Harry put on his seatbelt, started the car and putting it into reverse, pulled out of the parking spot as smoothly as melted butter. He had to fight extremely hard not to laugh when he saw his cousin's jaw drop disbelievingly. Harry rolled down the window as he stopped in front of the Dursley's car.

He leaned out onto the sill and said, "By the way, _Uncle_ Vernon, this is Hermione Granger, my _girlfriend_, so you can get it out of your mind that I'm homosexual." Vernon's jaw dropped in surprise that Harry knew he had been thinking that about his nephew.

"And even if I was, which I am not, there's nothing wrong with it. You are a prejudiced prat and you, and anyone like you," he looked pointedly at Dudley. "All need to wake up to see that the world isn't just here for _you_ to live in. It's here for _everyone_ to live in." With that, he rolled up the window and putting the car into drive, pulled out of the parking lot and headed back to what he now considered his home.


	20. Waiting For Class To Start

Harry Potter And The Summer Of Surprise- Chapter 20

Waiting For Class To Start

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter.

Harry paced the floor nervously. He looked at the closed door opposite from time to time and chewed on his lower lip. It was one thirty in the afternoon, according to the clock that hung a little ways down the hall, and he was getting more and more anxious as the minutes ticked by. Two other people came around the corner and stopped as they saw him walking back and forth.

They came closer to him and one asked, "Is this where we meet for the Apparition classes?"

Harry jumped with shock at the sound of another voice and spun around, shaking slightly. He only glanced at the two girls and then at the door to make sure that he hadn't wandered too far away in his pacing. The sign next to it said Department Of Magical Transportation, and he nodded. The girls giggled and sat on a bench talking about him behind their hands as he resumed pacing.

Hermione entered the hallway, shook her head wearily and approached the girls after seeing the way he was acting.

"He's still at it," she told the one closest to her. The blonde girl looked up and giggled.

"He _must_ be nervous."

The other, a brunette, lowered her voice to a whisper and asked, "Isn't that Harry Potter?" The two stared at Harry as he came towards them, then turned and walked away. When he turned to face them once more, the slight breeze he created blew the hair off his forehead, revealing his scar.

"It is! He's changed a _lot_!" the second girl quietly squealed. Harry didn't even notice their reaction to discovering his identity. Hermione chuckled and headed over to stop him from wearing a hole in the floor. She took his hand and drew him to sit down on another bench across from the two girls. He went dazedly, glancing at the clock one more time.

"Sit down. You're going to make yourself sick, worrying about nothing," she ordered him.

"Nothing?" he said as he came back to reality after taking his seat next to her. "'Mione, this is a big deal. I want to do well in this." He looked at the clock again. Hermione took hold of his chin and made him look her in the eye.

"It's only a few more seconds later than the last time you looked. Harry, you'll be fine. You did better than well when we did this in school, and you know it." She squeezed his hand and leaned forward to kiss him lightly. Harry heard a slight gasp across from them and seemingly noticed for the first time that they were not alone. He looked and saw two girls sitting on the bench opposite him and Hermione.

"Hello," he said to them. They looked familiar but he couldn't place them. They smiled shyly back. "Are you here for the Apparition classes?" he asked. Both girls giggled again.

"I thought we had established that when we asked you if this is where we met for them about five minutes ago," one replied. Harry seemed confused for a second, then his brain came upon the memory.

"Oh, yeah," he said sheepishly. "Sorry. I guess I'm a _little_ nervous. Do you go to Hogwarts? You both look very familiar." Both of the girls nodded. "I'm Harry Potter, and this is Hermione Granger, my g..." Again nods from both girls as the brunette inturrupted him.

"We know. I'm Rachel Turstine. I'm in Hufflepuff, going into sixth year, and I'll be seventeen on my birthday. It's in November." She turned to her friend. "This is Katie Concus." Recognition came across Harry's face as he remembered who the blonde girl was now.

"You're in Gryffindor! Going into sixth year as well?" Katie nodded.

"My birthday is the first of September and even though the two of us won't be able to take the Apparition test now, we have a jump on the others when we get back to school. But aren't you going to be seventh years?" Harry and Hermione nodded.

"Hermione already has her license. My birthday is in July so I started as one of the youngest in my year." Their conversation was inturruped by a group of people coming around the corner. They were headed by Draco Malfoy, making Harry immediately furious. He scrambled to his feet and faced the other boy. "What are _you_ doing here, Malfoy?" he growled.

"Same thing as you, Potter. Taking the brush up classes for the Apparition test. Excuse me. Hello, Granger." He moved past Harry and sat down on a bench at the far side of the door. Harry stood there confused. Why hadn't Malfoy started a fight with him? He had even been polite to Hermione! He looked down at her. Her eyes mirrored the shock that he felt. He glanced at Malfoy again and did a double take.

Something was missing here.

Malfoy was in short sleeves, and there was no mark on either one of his arms. Before Harry could think on this further or say anything to Hermione, the door of the Magical Transportation department opened and Wilkie Twycross stepped out into the hallway, still as colorless as the last time Harry had seen him.

"Come in, all of you." He moved to the side to allow them entrance. Harry took Hermione's hand and sqeeezed it before he left her there on the bench, being the last to enter the office. The door closed behind him and Hermione crossed the fingers of both her hands.

"Good luck, Harry."

Two hours later, they emerged from the office, Harry grinning like a fool as he appeared after Malfoy. He helped her off the bench and hugged her tightly.

"I was the only one who did it the first time!" He swung her around in a circle, causing her to laugh. He kissed her thoroughly as he set her down. Hearing another set of gasps behind them, Harry and Hermione turned to see Rachel and Katie standing by the Apparition Regulation office door.

"What?" Harry asked. "Can't a guy kiss his girlfriend?" Katie's blue eyes widened in surprise.

"Y-y-your girlfriend? But I thought you were going with Ginny Weasley." Harry shook his head.

"We broke up at the end of last term. She went back to Dean Thomas as soon as summer began." None of them noticed the small smirk that appeared on the face of Draco Malfoy as he turned and left the hallway. "Hermione and I have only been together about two weeks. And we were even fighting how we felt about each other right before that." Hermione broke in as she wrapped her arms around Harry's waist.

"That's because we were both stupid enough to believe that the other didn't feel the same way." Rachel flipped her long brown hair over her shoulder.

"And we thought _you_ were after _Ron_ Weasley." Hermione chuckled.

"I was just acting that way to make Harry jealous. Little did I know that he was already jealous of Viktor Krum and even Cormac McGlaggen, that over-muscled buffoon. I wanted to curse him into the next millenium when he knocked Harry out during that Quidditch match. Besides, Ron's going with Lavender Brown. He spent most of the time they were together the last time hiding from her because she was smothering him, but they've worked it out, and are much happier now."

Harry took her hand. "Well, it was nice talking to you and everything, but we really have to be going now. See you next week!" And with that, Harry and Hermione left the two girls standing there in the hall with dumbfounded looks on their faces.

But as soon as the couple turned the corner, Rachel and Katie were talking a mile a minute about what this relationship was going to do to the wizarding world.


	21. Talking To Petunia

Harry Potter And The Summer Of Surprise- Chapter 21

Talking To Petunia

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter.

Harry tapped his foot and looked at his watch as he leaned against the phone box. Twenty till eight. His bus was going to be coming along within the next twenty minutes and his aunt still hadn't phoned him. He had memorized the number in the first place in case he had reason to contact the Dursleys before he returned to school. He didn't want to give away where he really was staying, so when he saw the phone box near his bus stop, he decided to use that number instead. He sighed heavily, then jumped as the phone began to ring. He grabbed the reciever.

"Hello?"

Silence for a second, then his aunt's voice softly replied, "Hello, Harry." He was surprised. Petunia very rarely called him by his name. She usually referred to him as _you_ or _boy_.

"All right. You've got me on the phone, now what is it that you wanted to talk to me so badly about?"

Petunia lowered her voice to a whisper that Harry had trouble hearing over the traffic that came when a nearby light changed. When it cleared, he asked her to repeat what she had said.

"I can't talk here. Dudley is home. Is there anywhere we could meet, maybe this afternoon?"

Harry thought for a second. Hermione and Laura were going to the movies later, so they wouldn't be home when he got there. But he still didn't want to give away his exact location.

"How about you pick me up at the store at three? We can talk then, but the things I insist on is Uncle Vernon doesn't enter into this, and I get dropped off where _I_ say."

His aunt agreed and Harry, seeing his bus, said, "All right. Then I'll see you this afternoon. I have to go. My bus is here." Petunia said good-bye and hung up. Harry boarded the bus and paid his fare. He took a seat in the middle, thinking hard about what could be so important to his aunt. It bothered him all day long. He found himself checking his watch and the clock above the door repeatedly after his lunch. The time seemed to have stopped.

Finally, three-o'-clock arrived and when Harry stepped out of the store, his aunt was waiting for him in his uncle's car. He walked over to it and stood by her window for a second before she looked up and gestured for him to get in.

"I told Vernon that I had made an appointment to get the oil changed," she said as he closed the door. She pulled the car out of the parking lot and headed south. "So I had to drive him to work and sent Dudley off to Piers' house for the day. Then of course, I had to actually 'make' the appointment for the oil to be changed, and I had to make it for after I picked you up, and..." Harry covered his ears.

"Aunt Petunia, you're rambling on and on about stuff that really has nothing to do with anything. Now, what did you want to talk to me about?"

She looked nervous, her knuckles turning white as she gripped the steering wheel harder than was neccesary. She pulled into an automobile repair shop's lot and when the attendant came over, she told him that she had made an appointment for an oil change at half past three. He nodded and she and Harry got out of the car so that he could take it inside the building. Petunia led the way into the office and told the man behind the desk that they would return for the car in an hour or so. Then, with a frustrated Harry beside her, she started walking to a nearby park where she sat on a bench and motioned for him to join her.

"How are you doing, Harry?" she asked when he had sat down. He snorted.

"I'd be doing a lot better if you'd just tell me what's so bloody important," he replied. "But other than that, I'm just great." Petunia smiled and nodded.

"That's good. You deserve to be happy after all we've put you through." Another snort from her nephew.

"_That's_ the understatement of the century." He rolled his eyes heavenward.

"Harry, I know that this could never make up for all that we did, but I'm sorry. I'm sorry that we put you in that damnable cupboard for ten years, I'm sorry we made you wear Dudley's cast-offs, I'm sorry that those locks were put on your door when you _did_ get a bedroom, but most of all, I'm sorry about not telling you the truth about who you were. I think that at the time, I believed that if you didn't know about who your parents were, then maybe your powers wouldn't show up. Or if they did, they would remain unused or fail you. Like mine did." Harry turned shocked eyes to his aunt.

"Like yours did? What do you mean?" Petunia smiled ruefully and leaned over to pluck a blade of grass.

"Your mother wasn't the only Evans to go to Hogwarts, Harry. I did, too." Harry's jaw fell into his lap.

"You're a witch?" he asked incredulously. Petunia shook her head.

"No. I failed miserably during my first year. Either my powers were not developed enough, or they just died out as quickly as they came, but I wasn't accepted back for second year. Your mother went two years later, and I was so jealous, that I called her a freak. I was mad because she displayed stronger talents in every class that I had struggled hoplessly at. No, Harry, I'm not a witch. I'm a Squib." She let a soft breeze take the grass from her hand.

Harry shook his head to clear the shock out. "How...? How can you be a Squib? Grandmother and Grandfather Evans were Muggles," he said. His aunt smiled as she looked at him.

"That's what _I_ told you. They decided when they started their family that they wanted to try living as Muggles for a while. They were so used to it by the time Lily was born, that they forgot their powers. Then when they went to use them years later, they didn't even get a fizzle. They had lost their ability to use magic entirely." Harry remembered his mother's information on his birth certificate.

"But then how is it that she listed her birth status as Muggleborn?" Petunia's eyes widened slightly.

"You know about your birth certificate?" she asked. He nodded.

"Professor McGonagall somehow put it into my trunk when I was...um..." He stopped as he realized that he was giving away that he _had_ broken into the Dursley's house. She smiled and patted his hand.

"It's alright, Harry. I'm not going to tell Vernon that you used magic to get into the house. And as for your mother's information on your birth certificate, she thought that she 'was' a Muggleborn. Even _I _didn't know about Mum and Dad being purebloods until Lily had died." Harry nodded and shrugged.

"Well, _I_ didn't use magic to get into the house. Hermione did. I just let her. I was mad at all of you for leaving me with nowhere to go for a week after all that I had been though with you over the years. But why didn't you tell me all of this sooner? It definitely would have made my life a little more bearable." Petunia frowned and shrugged.

"I wanted to. But I couldn't risk Vernon finding out about my... abnormality. Fortunately Dudley didn't seem to have any powers at all." Harry narrowed his eyes at the mention of his abilities to be an _abnormality_ from her once more.

"It's not _abnormal_ to be able to use magic," he said, standing up and looking down at her. "It's just the way that some people are. Like being a genius. You wouldn't call _that_ an abnormality, would you?" His aunt flinched slightly at his scathing tone.

"Harry, I didn't mean to offend you. It's just that Vernon doesn't care for anything to be different than he is. He considers himself to be _normal_, and anyone who seems the slightest bit odd to him is immediately offensive. I can't tell him that I had the same abilities that you do. If I did, I would be out on the street with no money and nowhere to go. And there's another reason that I decided to tell you all of this now." Harry resumed his seat and faced her.

She waited a minute before softly saying, "My powers are coming back."


	22. Explanations

Harry Potter And The Summer Of Surprise-Chapter 22

Explanations

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter.

Harry lay on his stomach crosswise on his bed, his arms folded underneath his chin. He stared blankly out the window as he tried to process everything that Petunia had told him that afternoon. He had been so flustered by her news, that he had entirely forgotten to tell her where it was that he wanted dropped off. In fact, if she hadn't brought it up, they would probably still be driving the streets. As soon as she had left him at his bus stop and driven off, Harry had walked home and headed straight to his room. He had been in this position ever since. Something bumped the bottom of his foot and he turned to see Hermione smiling down at him.

"You _are_ here. Aunt Laura and I have been looking for you for about twenty minutes." Harry gave her a small thoughtful smile in return.

"Hi, Hermione." He turned back around, returning his head to its original position. Hermione frowned at his reaction, or lack of, to seeing her. She walked around the bed and sat down on the floor, looking at his strange expression, then out the window to see what could possibly be so interesting.

Seeing nothing but the sky, she asked, "What are we looking at?" She turned back to him. Harry shrugged.

"Nothing." He continued to look at the same spot.

"Harry, what's wrong? Did I do something to upset you?" He shook his head. "Did Aunt Laura?" Another shake. "Your Uncle?" she prodded. Yet another shake. She was getting frustrated with this one sided conversation. "Your aunt, what? Come on, Harry. Tell me what's wrong." She noticed that he didn't shake his head at the suggestion that it was his aunt that was upsetting him.

"It _is_ your aunt, isn't it?" He nodded, then sat up on the bed, swinging his legs over the edge. Hermione rested her hands on them and looked into his eyes, waiting for him to disclose what happened. "Did she come to the store today?" Harry nodded once more, still staring out the window. "Did she threaten you?" she asked hesitantly, relieved when Harry once more shook his head, but irritated that he was not replying verbally to her questions. She reached up and tickled his ribcage. Harry's face contorted into a cross between laughter and surprise. He squirmed away from her to the middle of the bed and looked at her finally. "Now that I have your full attention, what did your aunt do that's hurt you?" she said placing her hands on her hips.

"She didn't do anything to hurt me, as such. Just said some things that made me think." His thoughtful expression returned for a minute. "She told me she was sorry." Hermione was shocked.

"She was _what_?" Harry looked at her once again.

"She said she was sorry for the way I had been treated for the last sixteen years. There was really no reason for it, except that she was jealous." He swung his legs over the edge of the mattress and stood up, stretching.

"Jealous of you? You were just a baby when you were delivered to their house," she said.

"Not me. She was jealous of my mother," was his reply as he walked to the window. He placed his hands on the sill and leaned out of it for a minute or two, searching the clear sky. "Still no sign of Hedwig." He pulled his head back inside and turned around. "Let me ask you a question, Hermione. In all the things that you've read about me, did any one of the books ever mention my aunt?" Hermione shook her head.

"No, just your parents and how they died, leaving you an orphan. Why?" He looked disappointed, then he thought of something else.

"Do you think that Hogwarts ever had anything like a yearbook?" He was pleased when Hermione nodded.

"They used to, but they stopped it around twenty years ago when You-Know-Who began coming into more power. They didn't want him to have too much access to information about the students. Then they just never started them up again, except for the ones they give seventh years about a month before their graduation. Harry, what's going on?" He smiled.

"Twenty years ago. That would have been my parents' seventh year. Is there any way that we could get ahold of one of the books from about...oh, say, twenty-_nine_ years ago?" Hermmione's jaw dropped.

"What on earth could you want with a Hogwarts yearbook from twenty-nine years ago?" Harry grimmaced impatiently and twirled his hand.

"Is it possible?" he asked.

Hermione, angry by the way her boyfriend was acting towards her, stood, crossed her arms and replied, "I'm not telling you until I get an explanation 'and' an apology, Harry Potter." He looked down at the floor, and she was glad to see that he appeared properly ashamed of himself.

"I'm sorry, 'Mione. I don't mean to treat you like this. I just need to know if what my aunt told me today is true or not." He raised his head and opened his arms, inviting her to step into them, which she did. She rested her head on his shoulder and he kissed the back of her neck.

"What did your aunt tell you?" Harry tightened his grip around her waist.

"That she had gone to Hogwarts." Hermione stiffened in his embrace. She backed away and looked up at him to see if he was joking. She knew that he wasn't when he nodded.

"She's a witch?" Harry pulled her back into his arms.

"No. I asked the same thing when she told me. She somehow lost her powers and was declared a Squib. She wasn't accepted back for second year." This gained him a sceptical look.

"But your mother was Muggle-born like me. How is it that two Muggles had two children that were witches, then one turned Squib...wait, that's not possible. In order for her to be a Squib, your grandparents would have had to be a witch and wizard themselves." Harry nodded.

"Aunt Petunia didn't know until after my mum was killed, but apparently, the Evans family is as Pureblood as the Potter family." Hermione pulled out of his arms and moved to sit on the bed.

"If that's true, then _you_ are a Pureblood," she said sadly, tears forming in her eyes. Harry swiftly crouched in front of her.

"Hermione, if I _am_ Pureblood, it will not change the way I feel about you. I loved you when I was sure that I was from a Muggle-born and Pureblood union, and although I've seen the way Malfoy acts, I'm not him. I would still love you if I was a Squib myself." He kissed her forehead, her nose, and finally her lips, letting his own linger there until they heard Laura clearing her throat. They looked up and saw her standing in the doorway with a loaded down Hedwig on her shoulder.

"She came to me first. Probably because she had a letter to deliver to me as well." She held up a cream colored envelope. Harry rose and held out his arm. The snowy owl immediately fluttered across the room to her master. She held out one leg, then the other as Harry removed the bundles. She even lifted one of her wings to display a letter to Hermione that had been carefully attached with string. Hermione recognized the writing and stood to take the letter from the owl, letting her nip affectionately at her fingers.

"She likes you," said Laura, moving into the room. Harry nodded.

"She likes anyone that likes me and treats me well. That's why she had no problem delivering a letter to you. She knows you wouldn't treat me like my family did." His eyes glazed over for a second. He walked Hedwig over to her cage and she stepped onto her perch, drinking deeply from the water dish. Harry placed some owl treats in her bowl, then turned back to the others. "There's a package from my aunt in here." He held up the thick, heavy, wrapped object. He pulled the note off, opened it and read it aloud.

- Harry,

I sent this the only way that I knew how to get it to you. Your owl delivered a letter to me, and I sent this in return. When I got it out, I was surprised as it hadn't been disturbed since I had hidden it from Vernon when we moved into this house. I put it under one of the floorboards in the cupboard that you slept in. How you never managed to find them, I'll never know, but now they belong to you. Please believe me, Harry. I desperately need your help with this. I'm scared that Vernon will find out about my powers. And remember that I _did_ love your mother. And I love you as well.

Aunt Petunia

P.S. I was in Gryffindor.-

Harry dropped the letter onto his dresser and opened the package. Inside he found the same object that he and Hermione had been discussing.

"It's a Hogwarts yearbook," he said breathlessly. "Well, yearbooks. There's eight of them." He looked at the dates, and his eyes started to tear up.

"Harry! What is it?" Laura asked in alarm. Hermione moved forward to look at the covers.

"They're his mum's," she said, reading the name -Lily Marie Evans- in silver ink stamped at the bottom of the small blue book. He opened the one with the earliest date. The Hogwarts crest was printed on the first page and underneath that, a table of contents. He scanned for the Gryffindors, then flipped to the pages they were listed on. Looking feverishly through the upper years down to the lower ones, Harry stopped and drew in a sharp breath when he found what he was searching for. There, underneath a picture of a familiar girl in first year, Petunia Louise Evans. Hermione smiled at him when he looked up.

"She _was_ telling the truth. She went to Hogwarts." Laura stepped over to them and looked at the picture.

"That's your aunt? I thought she was a Muggle." Harry put the book down on top of his aunt's letter and explained the whole story over again.

"That must be why she wants your help so badly, Harry. You're the only one she can tell about this." He nodded absently as he was turning pages in the next book, searching for his mother and father. He found James first and had to be led to the bed before he fell over. The picture that grinned and waved from the page was him at eleven, but what else he saw was what had shocked him..

"Harry, you knew that your father looked just like you," Hermione said as she examined the picture of his father. Harry shook his head and pointed to a picture earlier on the page. She moved her eyes to this new photo, gasped, and nearly fainted. Laura took the book from Harry and read the name.

"David Phillip Granger. Oh, my God. That's Hermione's father! What does that mean?" Harry caught Hermione as she 'did' faint.

"It means she's not Muggle-born after all. She's a Half-Blood."

Laura closed the door to her niece's bedroom and went to the stairs, listening all the way to Harry's whispered voice as he tried to quiet a nearly maniacal Hermione, who was on the phone with her parents. Her father was attempting to explain that he had been afraid of the wizarding world not long after leaving Hogwarts, and decided to go to a Muggle dental school, where he had met Mary Parker, the woman who became Hermione's mother a few short years later.-

"You never even _told_ me that you were a wizard!" Hermione shrieked. "You just let me go on thinking that I was the first Granger to have these powers! How could you _do_ this to me! _Why_ did you do this?" Harry held a finger to his lips, trying to get his girlfriend to calm herself and be reasonable with her father, but to no avail. He gave up, holding up his hands in defeat when Hermione glared at him and flipped him the bird.

She turned to the phone base that Laura had put in her room so that she could call home and clicked a button on it to put her parents on speaker phone as Laura came back in carrying a tray of tea and biscuits. Hermione hung up the reciever that she had in her hand and sat on her bed.

"Hermione," came David Granger's voice over the speaker. "Are you still there?" His daughter snorted.

"Yes, I'm still here." she replied nastily, taking one of the cups from Laura, who took another to the corner chair where Harry was sitting. He accepted it with a silent thank-you and took three of the lemon biscuits that she offered as well. She nodded to him and turned towards Hermione's desk, putting the tray down upon it and leaving the room again.

"Darling, you have to understand that when I left Hogwarts. there were lots of Death Eaters around, searching for followers for... You-Know-Who. I didn't want anything to do with this, and as I was what they called a Mudblood," Hermione bristled at the name, "I wasn't safe. I had to get away from it and live my life as a Muggle. Hermione, please understand, it was a very dark time. You didn't know who to trust and lots of witches and wizards gave up magic to keep their families safe. That's all I was trying to do."

Mary interjected, "Love, you don't have to worry about it. You have Harry Potter as one of your best friends and he is the one who can rid the world of this monster. Then maybe your father can start using magic again, knowing that it's safe to stop hiding." Hermione took a sip of her tea and looked questioningly across the room at Harry.

He smiled, nodded and said, "Tell them." Her mother and father heard his voice and immediately started asking questions over each other.

"Hermione, what's going on there?" her mother demanded.

"Mum? Dad? I have something to tell you. I know that you don't talk to Diana all that much, or she would have told you when Natanya went home, but Harry's staying here with me and Aunt Laura." She waited for their reactions. Her father was first.

"How long has he been there?" He didn't recieve an answer right away.

"Your father asked you a question. How long has Harry been there?" her mother asked. Hermione muttered an answer.

"What did you say?" her father asked.

She cleared her throat and stated, clearly this time, "About a month." She cringed and clenched her eyes shut as her father started bellowing on the other end of the line.

"You've had a _boy_ in your aunt's home for a month! Hermione Jean Granger, what on earth are you thinking? Do you know what can happen when Laura isn't there? I think maybe you should just come home now." Harry's head snapped up, his eyes meeting Hermione's horror filled ones as they flew open.

He stood up and walked over to the bed, sitting down next to her as her mother interrupted, "Now, David. Hermione's a very intelligent girl. Let's not be hasty about this. Harry's her friend, and he wouldn't do anything to hurt her." Hermione cleared her throat uneasily.

"Mum, there's something else I have to tell you."

Harry took her hand as her father asked, "What else is there? What else could you possibly tell us other than that you're not a virgin anymore?" Again he didn't get an immediate answer, and when it did come, it was from Harry.

"Um, that's just it. She's _not_ a virgin, and it's... because of me." Laura heard this bit as she entered the room again, and smiled at Harry's initiative to take responsibility. Her brother-in-law, however, blew up once more, threatening Harry's manhood and after letting them know that he and Mary would be there the next afternoon to retrieve their daughter, he slammed the phone down, causing Harry and Hermione to jump.

She looked at him and said shakily, "That didn't go very well did it?" He could only wrap his arms around her and look helplessly to Laura as the girl he loved burst into tears.


	23. The Grangers Try To Intervene

Harry Potter And The Summer Of Surprise-Chapter 23

The Grangers Try To Intervene

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter.

The next afternoon, Harry trudged slowly home from his bus stop after work. He had wanted to take the day off, but Hermione didn't want him to see her leave. Now she was gone, and he really had no reason to hurry to Laura's except to pack his things, and move back to the Dursley's. He turned the corner onto Laura's street, waging a silent battle with his inner monolouge.

_**Why are they doing this?**_ he asked mentally.

_**You know why. You can't be so lucky to finally lose your virginity and live happily ever after**_ was the reply. **Something** _**had to happen to ruin it for you.**_ Harry dropped his head, staring at the ground as he walked. _There may still be hope for you, though_ the other voice said. _**Look up.**_ He did and saw a white car pulling into Laura's drive.

"She's still here," he whispered and took the last two blocks at a dead run, stopping on the front stoop to catch his breath. He cautiously opened the door and stepped into the front hall, closing it silently behind him. The first thing he heard was Hermione in near hysterics from the next room.

"NO! I _won't_ go! I won't leave Harry!" Her mother's voice quietly tried to reason with her, but Hermione wanted nothing to do with any of it. "If you take me, I'll run away, I swear I will." Her father sighed as Harry crept nearer to the living room door.

"Hermione Jean, be reasonable. We are only doing what's best for you." A shrill laugh trilled sarcastically to the hallway.

"What's _best_ for me! You don't even tell me you're a wizard in the first place, and now you think you know what's best for _me_? And you!" she addressed her mother, "'You' were the one that said Harry was my friend and wouldn't do anything to hurt me, and now you're trying to take me away from him! NO! I refuse!" Her mother sighed now.

"Is it because you want to protect him, Love? Or that you think he may have gotten you pregnant?" she asked.

_**No chance of that. After using those charms, I **_**couldn't** Harry thought as he listened.

Hermione must have shaken her head, as her father asked next, "Then why is it that you don't want to leave him?" Harry heard Hermione let out the third sigh of the conversation.

"Because I _love_ him," she answered. Harry let his presence be known.

"And I love her," he said, moving into the room. The four others looked up in surprise, and Hermione jumped from her position on the loveseat next to her mother and launched herself into Harry's arms. He wrapped them around her protectively.

"Please don't let them take me, Harry, please don't let them," she whispered, burying her face in the crook of his neck. He felt wetness there as well when tears started to fall down her cheeks, and tightened his grip. Mr. and Mrs. Granger stood up.

"Harry, I'm David Granger, and this is my wife, Mary." Harry nodded silently to acknowledge the introduction, then turned his head to look at a now sobbing Hermione.

"Shhhhhh, Love," he whispered to her, moving one hand up to stroke her hair. "It's all right, 'Mione, I'm here." Mary moved forward to help her daughter back to the loveseat, but as soon as she was touched, Hermione grabbed the front of Harry's shirt and held on tight, as if he were a life line.

Harry shook his head at the woman and said, "I'll take her." He directed his girlfriend to her previous seat and took the one next to her. Her mother sat in between David and Laura across from them.

"You say you love her," Hermione's father said, "Then let us take her home." Harry felt her shift next to him, her arms tightened around his neck, and she cried harder.

"Why?" he asked. Mr. Granger was shocked at the question.

"Excuse me?"

Stroking Hermione's hair again, Harry turned to her and comforted her with a quiet, "Shhhhhhh," then looked back at the man across from him.

"Why should I let you take her away? I want her to be happy and the prospect of leaving only seems to upset her. She wants to stay here." Hermione nodded against his shoulder.

"We understand that, Harry, but the fact remains that the two of you have done something very irresponsible in sleeping together. Hermione may be pregnant," Mrs. Granger said.

"No, she's not," Harry replied. "We took measures to prevent that." David cleared his throat.

"If you mean that you used a condom," Harry nodded. "Then you know that there is _still_ a possibility that she may be."

He seemed very sure of himself until Harry replied, "Not if we used a contraceptive charm as well." Hermione's father blanched.

"But you aren't old enough to use magic outside of school, are you?" Laura spoke up.

"He turned seventeen a week ago, David."

Harry added, "And even if I weren't old enough, 'Hermione' is. She would have been able to cast the charm." Mary looked thoughtful for a minute.

"Don't most contraceptive charms only last for one..um...time?" Another nod from Harry. "And how many times have you...been together?"

Hermione finally released Harry and straightened up to face her mother.

"That's really none of your business, mother!" Her father scowled.

"It is our business as you are our daughter, now answer the question." Harry leaned forward, placing his elbows on his knees.

"Twice," he said.

"Well, what if you forget to use the charm and you don't have another condom? Are you really willing to take the chance of becoming a father before you graduate?" Hermione smirked next to Harry and lay one hand on his shoulder.

"He followed my example and read the next page, Mum. I didn't, but he did. There were stronger charms after the one we originally used. Harry used one on me and one on himself, rendering us both sterile." Her mother gasped.

"But that means that you can't have children then!" she said in dismay.

"Not _now_," Harry replied, "But the charms _are_ reversible." Mary sighed with relief.

"I had the same reaction when he told me what he had cast on me," her daughter told them. "I was ready to spit nails when I found out that he had made me infirtile, but he had done the same thing to himself as well." David looked at Harry, then his daughter.

"Well, be that as it may, I still think that you should come back home with us, as you _did_ take advantage of the fact that the two of you have a lot of time together at the moment." Hermione's jaw dropped.

"You can't be serious! We just told you that I am unable to get pregnant until I'm ready, and you 'still' want to take me away from my boyfriend?" Harry inturrupted before she could say anything else.

"Mr. Granger, for all you know, I could have taken Hermione's virginity within the last six years at school and be lying to you about only sleeping with her twice."

Hermione looked at him distressedly. Her eyes said, **You're **_**not**_** helping, Harry!** He held up his hands.

"Not that it happened that way. I told you the truth about that. But know this. Hermione and I are perfectly capable of finding ways to be together when we go back to school. There are rooms that are set apart from our normal dorms, mainly for the Head Girl and Boy, and as I have been named Head Boy," Hermione now looked at him with elation then shock and horror as he finished with, "It wouldn't take much for her to get into my bedroom." David Granger stood up from his seat, his face distorted with fury.

"That does it. Hermione Jean Granger, you are going home with us tomorrow, and you will not be returning to Hogwarts." With that, he stormed out of the living room, his wife rising and following close behind. Hermione turned to Harry as she got off the loveseat.

"_Now_ look at what you did! I not only have to go home, but I have no chance of becoming an Auror, either. Thanks a lot, Harry!" She turned and fled the room. Laura frowned at him and chased her niece upstairs. Harry slumped down in his seat as he heard two doors slam shut above him.

_**Now you've done it**_ his other voice chided.

Harry replied to it out loud, "Fuck you!" and headed up to his own room.


	24. For What May Be The Last Time

Harry Potter And The Summer Of Surprise-Chapter 24

For What May Be The Last Time

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter.

Lying in bed and listening to the sounds of the night through his open window, Harry stared at the dark ceiling above him. He was thinking about what he had said to Hermione's father that afternoon and her subsequent reaction to it.

_**Now I'm alone again**_ he thought unhappily.

_**You could go and apologize.**_ Harry snorted.

_**'Like **_**that**_** would do any good now. He knows that I had every intention of taking his daughter to bed with me when we went back to school. I messed up. Big time, and now she wants nothing more to do with me.'**_ He rolled over and stared out the window.

_**Did she say that?**_ his other voice asked. Harry shook his head.

_**No**_ voice went on. _**And she was just upset because she still has to leave in the morning. You heard her talking to her aunt earlier. She said that... **_ Harry inturrupted.

_**She said that **_**I**_** had lost her any chance she might have had of staying, that's what she said. And I heard her slamming her trunk and books around as she was packing. She's mad as a wet hen at me, and I deserve it. If I had just kept my big gob shut instead of voicing my libido's intentions, she would still be here in the morning and I would still have her.**_

He stiffened at the sound of his door opening and closing quietly behind him. The lock clicked into place and he rolled over as Hermione slid into his bed next to him. She snuggled up against him, wrapping one arm around his chest.

"Hermione," he said. "I'm sorry about what I said earlier. I wasn't thinking, and now we can't even be together for our last school year." She silenced him with a kiss. "You're not mad at me anymore?" he asked when she pulled her lips from his.

Hermione moved to lay on top of Harry and kissed him again before answering, "I'll forgive you on one condition, Harry," She rose into a sitting postition and pulled her short nightdress over her head, revealing that she had nothing underneath it, then lowered herself once more to gaze her nipples against Harry's bare chest. "You make love to me one last time," she whispered.

Harry reached over to grab his wand. Hermione watched and giggled impishly as he cast 'silencio' around the entire room and tossed it back onto the nightstand, then rolled the two of them over, bracing his weight on his forearms, and captured her lips under his. Her hand slid between them to push his pajama bottoms down. He helped her by raising his hips, and broke their kiss just long enough to finish the job by kicking them off when she could no longer reach the garment. When he turned back to her, Hermione grabbed hold of his hair, pulled his head back, and latched onto his pulse point with her teeth. Harry hissed as they sank into his skin.

_**That's gonna leave a mark in the morning**_ he thought as she began sucking lightly on the spot, gradually increasing the pressure. The hand that wasn't in his hair moved to his chest, stroking his flat nipples. He moaned as she left his throat to trail kisses down his torso as far as she could reach. She nudged his legs apart and started sliding between them toward the foot of the bed. Harry watched her as she went, wondering what it was that she was doing. He cottoned on and rose onto his knees to keep fom crushing her as she reached his waist and wrapped her lips around the head of his cock. He watched her suck him and bit his lip in ecstasy. Her head moved up off the mattress and back down as she took more of him into her mouth, finally reaching the nest of black curls surrounding him. He had to keep a tight reign on himself to keep his hips from bucking and possibly choking her.

Harry grinned mischieviously and began to slowly turn around to face the other direction, never leaving her hot mouth. She made an inquisitive sound as his stomach moved over her chest, then she moaned around his member as he leaned down, stuck out his tongue and flicked it over her damp slit. He touched the tip to her clit and she fairly screamed underneath him. The vibrations that he felt from her voice sent shocks of a new pleasure that he hadn't felt before. She reached up to put her hands on his hips and pushed him off her.

"Enough foreplay for now, Mr. Potter. Come here." she said as she pulled herself up to the head of the bed. Harry did as he was asked and lay down next to her. She rolled onto her side to face him and stroked his hip lightly.

"So you're Head Boy." she said seductively. Harry nodded. "Well, not that it matters anymore," she went on a little sadly, "But I was made Head Girl." He grinned at the news, although he had known all along that she would have been the girl to get that honor. "I'll give Gryffindor 1,000,000 points if you can tell me what I want you to do right now, Mr. Potter."

Harry pretended to look thoughtful for a minute, then said, "You want me to snog Kreacher?" Hermione shuddered as Harry laughed.

"Ten points _from_ Gryffindor for that remark," she retorted in disgust. "And now it's only 900,000 if you get it right." Again he appeared deep in thought.

"You want me to make love to you?" he said softly. She shook her head.

"Close, but you only get 850,000 points, Harry. I don't want you to just make love to me. I want you to _fuck_ me." Harry's emerald eyes widened in astonishment as he looked at her face in the darkness. "Yes, Harry. I said that I want you to fuck me. And I want you to do it _now_." She pulled him on top of her as she rolled onto her back. Harry had other ideas, however.

He went slowly down her body, nipping and licking as he did so. He reached her womanhood and stopped for a second to look up at her face. Her eyes were closed in anticipation, her mouth slightly open, and her pink tongue ran across her lower lip. He smiled to himself. Remembering what she had done to his throat earlier, Harry fastened his mouth onto her skin just above her downy curls and started to suck gently.

Hermione gasped and jumped when she felt his teeth rasp her flesh, then groaned as he inserted his middle finger into her warm, humid tunnel, and sliding it in and out of her, he moved back up over her and slipped his tongue into her mouth. She gasped in response, and Harry pulled his hand away, shifted position, and thrust hard into her, burying his rod in one move. Hermione's back arched and she almost bit Harry's tongue, but he pulled it back just in time. He knew what she had been asking of him. She wanted him to lose control and his inhibitions with it. He gladly complied, slamming hard into her and relishing the way she wrapped herself around him and barked her cries of pleasure.

He brought her to at least three orgasms before he felt the start of his own forming deep inside his body. Quickening his pace, he rose up onto his knees, watching Hermione as she writhed in front of him. She brought her hand between them and spread the lips of her pussy to reach her clit and Harry's erection at the same time. His eyes followed her hand and he gasped when her fingers came in contact with his overheated flesh.

When she pulled back to stroke her quivering clit, he continued to watch himself thrusting in and out of her like a piston. Hermione rose up onto one elbow, allowing her the sight that Harry had of where they were joined. He lifted his head to meet her eyes briefly, then lowered it again as his body started to contract and with one more powerful thrust, he exploded inside her, screaming her name over her own cries as she finished seconds after him. They collapsed onto the bed, panting and sweating heavily.

Harry rolled off her after a minute and stared at the ceiling. Hermione snuggled up against him, not wanting to be that far apart, and he wrapped one arm around her, pulling her to him. He closed his eyes and turned to kiss her forhead as she rested on his shoulder. Reality came back to them as she caught a glimpse of the clock.

"Three eighteen," she said. "My dad wants to leave no later than eight." She started to rise off the bed, but Harry stopped her.

"Don't leave." Hermione looked back at him. "Please, 'Mione. Stay here with me. I'll set the alarm for six, and you can go then, but not yet." She smiled tearily at him and lay back down, pulling the sheet over their bodies. He comforted her as she cried, and they both drifted off without even another thought to setting the clock.

"Get me her wand. I know she's in that room." Mary scurried away as David Granger stood outside Harry's bedroom the next morning. It was going on nine and his daughter was nowhere to be found. He had noticed that Harry's door was closed and when he had turned the knob, David had found it locked. Mary returned with Hermione's wand and handed it to her husband. He pointed it to the doorknob.

"David, stop." The Grangers turned to see Laura at the top of the stairs. "Leave them alone," she said, striding over and taking the wand from her brother-in-law's hand.

"Laura, this doesn't concern you," he retorted.

"Oh, but it does. Come with me. It's time you found out something about your daughter and Harry Potter." She led the way into her bedroom and waited for the others to enter, then closed the door behind them. Mary and David stood behind her and she turned, motioning for them to sit on the couch under the front window. They did, and Laura sat on the corner of her bed facing them.

"What could you possibly tell me about my daughter that I don't already know, Laura?" She smiled.

"Quite a bit, actually. See, when Hermione first came to stay with me this summer, she seemed very depressed. I thought it was because of what had happened at her school last year, she told me that much, but it wasn't until a week later that she decided to open up to me about what was _really_ wrong. How much does she talk about Harry at home?" Mary thought for a second.

"Almost all the time, really," she said. David nodded in agreement.

"She usually does here, as well, but this time, she didn't even make one mention of him until I found her outside by the pool, holding a picture of her, Harry and Ron Weasley, and staring into space with a sad expression. I thought something had happened with Harry and Ron and asked her if anything was wrong with them. She started crying her eyes out, and I was sure that they had been killed by the monster that everyone's so afraid to talk about. But she told me something that at the time I thought was rather a strange thing for her to be upset about. She told me that Harry had a girlfriend and was in love with this girl even though they had broken up at the end of the school year. She said that he had broken up with the girl to protect her. Hermione thought that she had absolutely no chance with Harry after that. It was more than she could take and she broke down and told me the whole story.

"She's been in love with him since before she ever even met him, and seeing him on the train only strengthened that feeling. She's very protective of him and would give her life for him, she told me that, and I know that Harry would give his for her. But to get back to what I was saying, Hermione lay everything out on the table. How she had wanted to be friends with him, how they got into all sort of adventures together, most of this I had already heard, but I let her tell it again. But when she got to the point of Harry's kissing Cho Chang, her face became angry and jealous. The same thing happened when she told me about him kissing their other friend Ron's younger sister. She's the one that was Harry's girlfriend. And Hermione said that all the work she did last year was for nothing. When I asked her what she meant, she said that she had been trying to make Harry jealous enough to come after her. But it didn't happen. Anyway, I took her to the store with me a day or two later, and who should we see there, but Harry Potter!" She paused to take a few breaths at this. Mary and David sat, still staring at her avidly.

"He works as a cashier at the store we went to, and when she saw him, she insisted that we go through his checkout lane. She got his attention and waved to him. He waved back, and was very nice when Hermione introduced us." She paused again. "Has Hermione told you anything about how Harry was being treated by his aunt and uncle during the summer?" Her sister shook her head and David spoke up.

"No, but the one time we did see him in Diagon Alley, I thought that he looked very much like a hoodlum, wearing baggy clothes and scruffy shoes, and was covered with dirt. And although he seems to have cleaned up in that respect, I still don't like the idea of Hermione wanting to be with him." To his shock, Laura smiled condesendingly at him.

"The reason he dressed like that is due to his aunt and uncle as well, David. By the way, as for the reason he was covered with _dirt_ as you said, that was because the Weasleys rescued him from the room that had become for all intents and purposes, a jail cell to him, and then they had used Floo powder to get to Diagon Alley. Harry, having never used it before, started coughing as he said his destination and got lost nearby in Knockturn Alley. When he found Hermione, and they met up with all of you at Gringott's, he was covered with soot, not dirt." Her sister's husband shifted on the couch. He remembered the consequences of not speaking clearly when using Floo powder.

"How did you find out about this? Surely Hermione wouldn't have known all of that." Mary nudged him in the side.

"She would after talking to Harry about it. He told her what had happened?" she said, looking at her sister, who nodded.

"The two of them had quite a laugh about it when they were reminiscing about their past years at Hogwarts the other week. But again, I've digressed. I offered him a ride when his supervisor told him to go home, which he was extremely grateful for. You see, David, for the last sixteen years, Harry's aunt and uncle have treated him like he's a dog mess on the ground. They forced him to sleep in a tiny cupboard under their staircase for ten years, and the next summer after he was accepted to Hogwarts, a house elf dropped a pudding in the kitchen, and an owl from the Ministry of Magic dropped a letter onto a dinner guest's head, causing her to freak out. Vernon Dursley, that's Harry's uncle, decided to lock Harry in his room." Mary looked appauled.

"You mean to tell me that they locked him inside that cupboard?" she sputtered.

"No, to keep Harry quiet when he was getting letters from Hogwarts by the thousands- they wouldn't let Harry have the letter and the school was bound and determined to get one to him- Vernon moved him upstairs to the smallest bedroom, which was originally being used as a junk room for all the things that their overly spoiled son, Dudley, had broken.

"And as for his baggy clothes," she added, remembering David's earlier remark about the way Harry had been dressed the one time he had seen him, "They were castoffs from Dudley, who weighs, as Harry pointed out the other day, as much as a baby killer whale." She chuckled at this. "Vernon and Petunia didn't want to have to spend money on Harry, so they gave him their son's rags to wear. And the summer with the pudding incident, they put locks on Harry's door and a cat flap at the bottom to shove food through when they decided to feed him, plus bars on his window, so he couldn't climb out and return to Hogwarts. Three of the Weasley children found this out when they arrived at Harry's bedroom window in a flying car. They pulled the bars off and saved Harry from being starved to death. He had only been given a tin of cold soup that day, David. For the whole day, he had only one tin of stone cold soup, which he had to share with his owl, who they locked up in her cage. They've been better to him since they found out about his godfather, Sirius Black," David's eyes flashed with recognition at this, "But they really still treat him like dirt, or rather something that's been stuck in it." Her brother-in-law leaned forward.

"Harry's godfather is Sirius Black?" he questioned. Laura shook her head sadly.

"Was. Sirius died toward the end of Harry and Hermione's fifth year. You know, when they went to the ministry?" The Grangers nodded. "Why? Did you know him?" David stood and turned to face the wall.

"I knew _of_ him. I knew of that entire group, really. Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew, and I'm obviously James Potter was Harry's father?" Laura confirmed that he was. "And who was his mother? What was her maiden name?" he asked, turning to face her. "Lily...um. let me think... Evans! That's it. Lily Evans." David appeared extremely shaken. He sat down on the couch again and ran one hand over his face. Mary was concerned.

"What is it?" she asked.

"I was put into Hufflepuff, so I didn't really get to know them that well, but from what I do remember, the four of them were real pranksters. The rumor around was that they almost cost a fellow student, a Slytherin, his life, but James thought better of it and wanted to call it off. He's a teacher at Hogwarts now..." Laura broke in.

"Severus Snape, yeah, I know. But did you know that 'he' was the one that killed the headmaster?" David's face blanched at this.

"He killed Dumbledore?" Laura nodded.

"What was so important about Lily?" Mary asked.

"Oh, nothing really. She was my potions tutor. I was horrible at it. Funnily enough, Hermione seems to be an expert. I just thought that James must have moved pretty fast. He only started dating Lily in seventh year." He snorted with mild amusement. "His son seems to have taken after him in that respect."

Laura, seeming confused, said, "Lily and James didn't start dating until seventh year? Weren't they in the same house? They weren't even friends?" David spread his hands apart to show that he didn't know.

"They were both Gryffindors, but were they friends? Not that I know of, but as I wasn't in their house, I have no clue. They may not have even known the other exsisted," he told her.

"But Harry and Hermione are in the same house and have been best friends almost since they met. Maybe it's just me, but you'd think that all members of the same house would at least _know_ each other." Again, her sister's husband ran his hand over his face.

"You really think that Harry wouldn't do anything to hurt Hermione?" She smiled at him.

"I don't think he wouldn't, I 'know' he wouldn't. He loves her more than life itself, and would do anything to protect her." David raised his hands in defeat.

"All right, all right. I'll leave them alone. They can be together and she can finish her Hogwarts education. But promise me one thing." Laura and Mary looked at him expectantly. He smiled widely. "You take care of him until he goes back to school. I don't want Hermione coming crying to me that Harry is mistreated here as much as he was at his aunt and uncle's." He covered his head and ducked as Laura and Mary started hitting him with throw pillows.

"I was joking!" he laughed, and begged them to stop. "Now let's go wake up Sleeping Beauty and give her the good news."

He heard his wife softly say to her sister as he stood and headed to the door, "Sleeping Beauty and her Handsome Prince, he means."


	25. Another Conversation With Parents

Harry Potter And The Summer Of Surprise-Chapter 25

Another Conversation With Hermione's Parents

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter.

Harry woke slowly, hearing knocking in his dreams. For some reason his lower body ached. He smiled as he remembered why, and turned his head to read the clock, but it was too blury. He fumbled for his glasses and slid them onto his nose, then tried again. He shot bolt upright in his bed. Quarter after ten! Hermione was gone and she hadn't woken him up so he could say good-bye. Tears came to his eyes as he swung his legs over the edge of the mattress and stood, picking up his pajama bottoms and tugging them on as he went to answer the insistant knock that he now knew was real. He unlocked the door, wondering why Hermione had locked it on her way out that morning and cracked it open to reveal Laura, as he knew it would be.

"Have you come to chuck me out, then?" he asked hesitantly, wiping his tears away.

"No," she replied, surprise appearing on her face, then she glanced at his throat and laughed to herself. "I've come to wake you and Hermione up. Breakfast is ready and I thought you might be hungry after..." she made a vague gesture to tell him she somehow knew what they had done the night before.

Harry blushed, then realized she had said to _wake you and _Hermione _up_! He snapped his head around and saw his beloved still fast asleep in his bed.

"What's going on?" he asked, happy but confused. "I know now that we forgot to set the alarm, but her father isn't knocking the door off its hinges to keep me from sullying his little girl anymore than I already have? What gives?" Laura smiled.

"Just wake up Hermione, get dressed and come downstairs. I think you're in for a surprise. We'll be in the dining room." She snickered again, turned and walked away. Harry closed the door and went back to the bed. He sat down on it and gently shook Hermione's shoulder.

"'Mione, love, it's time to wake up." She rolled over and smiled at him sleepily.

"Good morning, Harry." She moved to sit up. "Ooohh! My body hurts." Harry chuckled.

"I wonder why. It couldn't have been because you had me slamming into you last night could it?" Hermione smiled and pulled him to her and gave him a kiss. It was then that she noticed the amount of sunlight in his bedroom.

"Oh my God, Harry! What time is it?" She turned to the clock. "Half ten! My father's going to kill me. And you as well when he finds out what we were doing. I mean, it's fairly obvious. Look at your neck."

Harry got up and went to the mirror in the corner. A large purple love bite stood out against his light tan where Hermione had latched onto him during their passion last night.

"Oh, bloody hell," he said, sounding like Ron for a minute. "Laura saw this. That's what she was laughing at." He turned back to a giggling Hermione. "You gave me a hickey the size of England." She got out of bed and caught sight of herself in the mirror.

"That's nothing. Look at what you did to me." She had a similar mark on her lower abdomen.

"Oh, yeah. My payback. But no one is going to see that unless you wear one of those microscopic bikinis of yours. By the way, thank you for buying them. They definately made my summer." She cocked her head to the side as she pulled her nightdress down over her breasts. "Seeing you in one of them gave me the nerve wear something that I never would have any other time, and now I have a tan to show off when I go back to school." Her face fell at the thought that he would be returning without her.

"I forgot about that. I hope you have a good seventh year, Harry. I'll miss you."

She started to tear up, but Harry remembered what Laura had told him and said, "Hang on, now. Your aunt wants us both to come down to breakfast. She said that we were in for a surprise." She raised her damp eyes to his face.

"A surprise? What kind of surprise?" Harry shrugged.

"Dunno. But we can't go down like this," he indicated their clothing, or lack of. "You had better go and get dressed, and I'll wait for you here." She smiled and left the room. Harry changed into khaki shorts and a t-shirt, and was pulling on his sandals when she reappeared. He looked up as he finished fastening the buckle around his heel.

"Wow, Hermione! You look incredible."

She spun around, showing off the sundress she had put on. It was white with tiny pink and green flowers and showed off her tan (and curves, to Harry's delight) quite nicely. The finishing touch was white strap sandals, and he noticed that she had done the same thing to her hair that she had for their dinner date the month before, and had pulled it back in a clip, letting it fall in a shimmering curtain down her back. She held out her hand and Harry rose from his seat on his now made bed (He had 'no' idea how that had happened. He had just been thinking about making it as he went to use the bathroom, and when he came back, it was finished.). He took it, and together, they went down to breakfast.

They went through to the dining room and entered a little apprehensively, seeing Mr. and Mrs. Granger sitting at the table. David looked up and smiled as he stood. He walked over to them and wrapped his arms around Harry, who froze with shock. Hermione released Harry's hand and went to sit at the table. When her father released him, Harry did the same, choosing the chair across from rather than next to her.

He had just barely sat down when David took hold of his arm and hauled him out of the seat, propelling him to sit next to his daughter. He placed his hands on Harry's shoulders and forced him into the chair. He landed with a soft 'umph', and glanced at Hermione, who looked just as confused as he felt. She watched her father, who resumed his position in the seat at the head of the table next to her mother. Laura smiled at them from her position across the table.

"All right, what's going on?" Hermione asked. "Last night, you didn't seem to want me to even _look_ at Harry, much less be in the same room with him, and now you move him from across the table to sit next to me? What are you playing at, Dad?"

Her father cleared his throat and replied, "Well, this morning I woke up with every intention of dragging you home, kicking and screaming if necessary, and when I couldn't find you in your room, I went nuts looking for you. We saw Harry's door was shut and I turned the handle only to find it locked, so I knew you had to be in there with him. Let me tell you that I almost went ballistic. I wanted to basically give Harry a sex change."

Harry sorrowfully dropped his eyes to the table. David Granger chuckled. "Don't worry, Harry. I don't feel that way now. Laura has opened my eyes to things about you I had no idea exsisted. I am sorry for the way I treated you yesterday." Harry turned his head to face the other man.

"You didn't do anything to me," he said.

"On the contrary, I was about to take the person you love more than you do your own life away. And after hearing how your family treated you during your time with them, I realized I can't do that to you. Or Hermione." He now addressed his daughter. "Laura also told me about how you were depressed at the beginning of the summer when you thought that he," he gestured to Harry, "Was in love with that other girl, what was her name, Ginny Weasley?" Everyone else nodded. "And I just want to tell you now, that if Harry Potter makes you happy, I have no more reservations about your seeing him." Hermione jumped up and ran to her father, throwing her arms around his neck.

"Thank you, Daddy! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" She punctuated each one with a kiss on his cheek.

He laughed at her actions and said, "Hey, save some of those for your boyfriend." Harry beamed from his seat. He felt as if he were floating. He had just gained acceptance from the family of the woman he loved.

_**I'll bet my Patronus would be the size of Hogwarts right now**_ he thought as Hermione returned to her place next to him and gave him the same treatment she had her father.

David cleared his throat once more and added, "I just have one little request." Everyone turned to face him as he smiled.

"You let us all know if you decide to get married." Harry joined in the laughter, but inside his head, he knew that he had been considering that very subject. An owl inturrupted their breakfast just as they were starting to eat, and almost upset Hermione's eggs and bacon when it landed on the table in front of her. Harry and Hermione were shocked when they saw it was Hermes, Percy's owl. There were two letters attached to his legs, and Harry, seeing his name on one in Ron's handwritting, which appeared to have been written in haste and anger, pulled it off the owl. Hermes took off once more and soared out the window.

"This reminds me. I never did open the rest of the letters I got the other day," he said as he opened it. He and Hermione both read their letters and the adults at the table all turned to them as they both let out identical gasps of surprise.

"What is it?" Mary Granger asked. Hermione's hand shook as she stared at her letter. "Well, it's true then," she said to Harry, who nodded silently.

"Ginny Weasley is pregnant," she added, looking now at her parents. Her father's face once more looked as if it were about to explode in anger.

"You mean to tell me that Harry had so little respect for this girl that now he's left her for you when he got her pregnant?" Hermione shook her head quickly and was about to jump to Harry's defense when he stopped her with a hand on her arm.

"No, Mr. Granger. I'm not the father of Ginny's baby. We never slept together. I didn't really love her, and I think she knew that. I gave Hermione..." He dropped his eyes in embarrassment, his cheeks turning bright pink. "I gave my virginity to Hermione." Her father relaxed, realizing from Harry's expression that he could only be telling the truth.

"Well then, who _has_ gotten this poor child in trouble?" Hermione swallowed.

"Well, it's not who we thought it would have been. We thought she had gone back to her ex, Dean Thomas, after she and Harry broke up at the end of last school year. But she didn't." Her mother spoke up.

"Then _who_ is it? Does she know?" Harry and Hermione both nodded and looked at each other, both speaking at the same time.

"It's Draco Malfoy."


	26. An Interesting Turn Of Events

Harry Potter And The Summer Of Surprise- Chapter 26

An Interesting Turn Of Events

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter

"Accio." Harry's quill soared into his hand and he turned the page of his potions book. He had rid himself of the copy he had been using last term and bought a new one by owl post. He read the ingredients of an endurance potion and compared it to his list from a black widow bite antidote. Professor Slughorn had given them an essay about the similarities and differences in certain types of potions.

Harry found nothing of use on the page and turned it again. The potion on this page yielded more information to him. He wrote- The similarities of a black widow bite antidote and a simple sleeping draught are few, but important- then listed the items, as well as instructions for making the potions, that they had in common. He worked on this essay for a half hour or so more, and was almost finished when Hermione ruffled his parchment by slamming her rune text closed across the table from him. A large ink blot appeared where his quill skidded on the essay. He glanced up at her and she gave him an apologetic and sheepish smile.

Holding her gaze steadily, Harry pulled out his wand, pointed it at the blot and said, "Scourgify," then lay the wand on the table before dropping his eyes back to the parchment, shaking his head slightly and trying unsuccessfuly to hide his laughter at her expression. Hermione saw his shoulders shaking and threw a crumpled piece of her own parchment at him. It bounced off his head. Harry rubbed the spot and behaved as if he had been mortally wounded. She joined in his laughter and they both returned to their work. He finished his assignment and looked at the clock on the sideboard behind Hermione.

"Look at the time!" he exclaimed, hurrying to gather his books together. "We have to get going." Hermione finished the sentence she was writing on her herbology assignment, stood and grabbing the car keys from the table, led the way out to Laura's Camaro.

"You know, Harry, you really should be the one to do this. You have your test in two days and you need to get in some more practice." He held out his hand and she dropped the keys into it. They got into the car and Harry started it, then put on his seat belt and backed out of the driveway.

"You'll have to help me a bit. I'm not quite sure how to get to London." His girlfriend smiled and patted his knee.

"You'll be fine, Love." They left Laura's neighborhood and were just passing the store where Harry worked when he saw something that made him turn the corner in a hurry, causing the driver behind them to lay on his horn. Hermione was about to ask him what was wrong, but upon seeing his aunt, she understood. Harry pulled the car alongside his aunt and rolled down the window.

"Aunt Petunia, what are you doing here?" He looked around the lot. "Where is the car? You didn't walk did you?" She shook her head, looking terribly frightened. Harry, now concerned, put the Camaro in park and undid his seatbelt so that he could get out. He pulled the seat forward and helped her to get in. He pushed the seat back and got in himself, and after adjusting it to give her room, he snapped the belt again and put Laura's car into drive. He still headed towards London, following Hermione's instructions and glancing in the rearview mirror at his aunt every so often. She was shaking and pale, breathing heavily and her eyes kept twitching.

"What happened?" Hermione asked as she turned in her seat to face the woman. Petunia started and looked at her, seeming to only have just noticed that she was there.

"Where am I?" she asked looking around the car anxiously but upon seeing Harry, she calmed considerably. "Oh, Harry! Thank God. I remember I was looking for you, and as I don't know where you live, I went to your work place but they said that you were off today and tomorrow. Oh, Harry, it was awful." Harry looked in the mirror and back at the road as Hermione told him to turn right.

"What was awful? Did Uncle Vernon do something to you?"

Petunia shook her head and replied, "No, but he will when he sees what happened. Thank goodness Dudley is at Piers' for the week and didn't see anything. I lost control. I don't know how it happened, but all of a sudden, the whole kitchen just seemed to explode." Harry and Hermione looked at each other in alarm.

"Did anything upset you before it happened?" Hermione asked.

Petunia looked at her once more and said, "You're Harry's girlfriend aren't you?" Hermione nodded.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Harry said, looking in the mirror again. "Aunt Petunia, this is Hermione Granger. Hermione, this is my aunt." The two women shook hands and nodded to each other.

"I don't know. I just remember Vernon took the car when he knew that I needed it to get the groceries for the week and then next thing, the refrigerator is on top of the table, and all the dishes are shattered on the floor. What am I going to do?" Hermione reached between the seats and took Harry's aunt's hand.

"It'll be all right. We'll figure it out when we get back from London." Petunia looked out the window in shock, now noticing they had left Little Whinging.

"Why are we going to London? I have to be home when Vernon gets there, although I really don't want to be."

Hermione gave Harry instructions to turn left now, and he said as he did, "Don't worry. I have an appointment that will only take an hour. Then we'll go straight to the house and see if we can't fix this up before Uncle Vernon gets home. Today is his late day, isn't it?" Petunia nodded, relieved that her nephew was willing to help, even though he really had no reason to do so.

A while later, they pulled into a parking structure and Harry slid the Camaro into a spot on the ground level. They all exited the vehicle and after locking the doors, Harry turned on the anti-theft alarm. He took his ticket from the attendant on the way out of the structure and turned right, Hermione right behind him. Petunia followed at a small distance wondering where they were going. They continued along until they reached the street that held the visitor's entrance to the Ministry of Magic. He glanced at his watch and hurried to the phone box, opened the door and allowed Hermione to enter before him. He turned and gestured for his aunt to do the same, but she held back for a minute. Harry went to her and gently took her arm.

"It's all right. This is where my appointment is." She looked at him suspiciously, then let him lead her to the box. He entered behind her and shut the door. Hermione picked up the reciever, dialed 6-2-4-4-2, and replaced it in the hook. The now familiar female voice spoke out.

"Welcome to the Ministry of Magic. Please state your name and business."

Harry replied with a slight glance at his aunt, "Harry Potter, Apparition class, Hermione Granger and Petunia Dursley are accompanying me." Three badges fell into the change slot.

"Thank you. Visitor please take the badges and attach them to the front of your robes." The voice continued as Harry handed his aunt the one with her name on it, "Visitor to the Ministry, you are required to submit to a search and present your wand for registration at the security desk, which is located at the far end of the Atrium." Harry rolled his eyes while he mouthed along with the words.

"Same recording every bloody time," he muttered as the floor shuddered and started to decend. Petunia gasped with fright and threw her arms around his neck. "It's all right, Aunt Petunia. This is how I have to get into the building for my class," he choked out, distangling himself. They reached the bottom and exited the phone box, then headed across the Atrium where Harry and Hermione handed over their wands to the security wizard. Petunia watched as they went through the security check, then Harry beckoned her over to do the same.

"She doesn't have a wand," Hermione said as the man looked at Harry's aunt expectantly. "She's a Squib." The man nodded and waved them on their way. They headed into one of the lifts and Harry pushed the button for their floor. Hermione watched the enchanted paper airplanes over her head and smiled when Petunia gazed at them curiously as well. The lift stopped on Mr. Weasley's floor and the door opened to let several wizards off. Mr. Weasley himself entered and stood next to Harry for a second, his nose burried in a memo that he was reading.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Weasley," he said, and the older man started in surprise at Harry's voice.

"Harry! And Hermione! How nice to see you!" He spotted Petunia and did a double take. "Mrs. Dursley?" he asked.

Harry nodded and whispered in Mr. Weasley's ear, "Please don't make her feel anymore incomfortable than she already does. She's new to this." Arthur glanced at him, unease growing on his face.

"Harry," he muttered, "You've brought a Muggle into the Ministry of Magic! Do you realize you could be jepordizing our 'entire' world?"

Harry smiled and said, "She's not a Muggle. She's a Squib. I'll explain later. Right now, I have a class to get to." The lift had stopped and opened the doors. Harry, Hermione and Petunia stepped out and as the doors began to close he said to Arthur, "See you later, Mr. Weasley." They turned and headed down the hall to the Department of Magical Transportation office. Hermione sat on the bench across from the door, pulling Petunia down with her and Harry joined the queue to enter, noticing he was right behind Malfoy.

Harry tapped him on the shoulder, and when the other boy turned, Harry leaned forward slightly to whisper to him, "You'd better take care of Ginny. She's the sister of one of my best friends and I won't think twice about using 'sectumsempra' on you again if you hurt her." Draco nodded to show that he understood.

"'You' better do the same for Granger," he replied softly, a sincere smile crossing his pale features. "I know that you two are dating, and," he looked out of the corner of his eye at Hermione, who was watching them. "She's worth it, Harry. Just remember that no matter what, love is worth it." The door to the office opened, and the group entered, leaving Hermione and Petunia sitting in the hall. As he went in, Harry smiled and gave them a wink, then blew a kiss to Hermione, and shut the door.


	27. Fixing A Problem

Harry Potter And The Summer Of Surprise-Chapter 27

Fixing A Problem

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter.

Hermione looked around the Dursley's kitchen in horror. It was worse than Petunia had said. Harry stepped over the destroyed microwave to stand by the sink that had been wrenched from the wall. his aunt cowered near the door.

"Please tell me you can help?" The other two looked at her, then each other. Hermione ran her hand over the refrigerator that was indeed, sitting on the collapsed table.

"It will take a little bit of work," she said to Harry's questioning look. "But we should be able to fix everything." She drew out her wand and pointed it to the smashed china cabinet. "Reparo."

The cabinet flew together once more and the figurines, dishes, and crystal glasses that had been inside were restored. Harry did the same to the microwave and sink, then to the stove, thinking that it looked as if it had been almost folded double as if someone had dropped a wrecking ball upon it.

_**Or Dudley.**_ Harry had to fight not to laugh at his inner voice's remark.

_**Not now**_ he told it, turning away so that Hermione and Petunia wouldn't see the amusement on his face. He and Hermione continued repairing the damage that his aunt had caused to the kitchen and after thirty minutes or so, they collapsed at the now whole table. Petunia looked around gratefully.

"Thank you, both! I don't know what I would have done if Vernon had come home and seen that." She went to the cupboard and took out two glasses, filled them with ice and water, and gave them to her nephew and his girlfriend. Hermione stood and placed her glass on the table.

"May I use your loo?" she asked. Petunia nodded.

Harry said, "Door right across from my old room." When Hermione had left the room, Harry's aunt sat next to him and stared at the kitchen door, then turned to look at him.

"She makes you happy, doesn't she?" Harry nodded. "I'm glad. You deserve to be happy, Harry. Especially after all the rubbish we put you through. I don't think that I will ever be able to make it up to you, but I would like to try."

She stood and went out into the hall to the cupboard. Harry looked at the clock and back to the door as she returned to the table with a long box. She set it down, and he read the name on top. -Petunia L. Evans- She lifted the lid and drew out a smaller box that Harry recognized as being from Ollivander's. Petunia opened this as well, pulling a nine and one half inch ash wand out, and handed it to him. He looked it over and pointed it to its box.

"Wingardium Leviosa." The small container floated off the surface of the table. They watched it for a minute or two, then Harry let it down and handed the wand back to his aunt.

"It still works," he said unnecessarily. "Do you remember what the core is?" Hermione reentered the kitchen before his aunt could answer and looked at the box that was between the two of them as she sat down next to Harry. "Is this all your old stuff from Hogwarts?" she asked Petunia, who nodded hesitantly. Harry glanced at the clock again.

"We really need to get going soon. Why did you get all this stuff out?" She replaced the wand in its box and added it to the rest of the objects she had kept.

"I need you to help me learn to control my powers, Harry. Both of you," she included Hermione. "Please." She sounded desperate Harry thought for a few minutes, looked up at his aunt's pleading expression, then at Hermione. She nodded, and Harry, spotting a quill, ink and parchment in the box, reached in and pulled them out. He tore off a scrap and loading up the quill, wrote Laura's address down on it. He handed it to Petunia and replaced the items. She clutched it tightly in her hand.

"That's where I'm staying. I'm going to trust you not to tell Uncle Vernon about it, because if he shows up there and harrasses me, Hermione or her aunt...the deal's off, and you're on your own." She nodded her head rapidly.

"Thank you, Harry," she said gratefully. "You don't know what this means to me. Could you do me one more favor?" she added as they stood to leave. Harry looked down at her expectantly. "Can you take the box with you?" He nodded and gathered it into his arms as she rose to lead them out.

"I'll call you when I get my new schedule," Harry said as she hugged him awkwardly, due to the box he was holding. He and Hermione got into the car, waved and were on their way home.


	28. A Transfer Of Property

Harry Potter And The Summer Of Surprise-Chapter 28

A Transfer Of Property

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter.

Harry smiled widely as the flash went off. He blinked rapidly to clear his eyes of the glare, then stepped up to the counter and signed his name on the line the lady pointed to.

"It'll take a few minutes for your picture to come out. Just have a seat and we'll call you when it's done." Harry nodded and went to sit next to Laura in the waiting area. He wished that Hermione could have come along, but she was too nervous and thought she would transfer some of it to him, so she had remained at home to work off the nerves by finishing her homework. Harry chuckled as Laura gave him a congratulatory hug.

"What's so funny?" she asked, smiling.

"Nothing. I just can't believe all that's happened since this summer started. I've never been happier in my life. I have a wonderful place to live, thank you again, by the way, people who like me there, one of them actually 'loves' me and who I love in return, a job, one more Apparition class to go then I get to take the test, and now..."

He looked up as the lady behind the counter called, "Harry Potter?" and stood, turning to look down at Laura, beaming.

"Now I've got my driving license!" Laura laughed as he walked up to the counter to receive it. She dug into her purse and found the item she had been planning on giving him if he passed his driving test. She and Hermione had talked about it the night before while Harry had been in his room, writing a letter to the Order, and her niece had been thrilled to hear about Laura's plan. She pulled it out along with a red ribbon that she tied around it, making a little bow, then hid it in her purse once more as Harry returned to her.

"I'm ready," he said. She stood and followed him out of the license office, pulling it back into her hand.

"Harry, wait." He stopped and turned to face her.

"What is it?" he asked.

"I want to give you something." She took his hand and pressed the object into his palm. Harry looked down and saw that it was the key to the Camaro, with a little red bow around the ring it resided upon.

"You mean I can drive your car home? I mean, I know I've done it before, but for you to just hand me the keys..." Laura smiled.

"Well, yes and no, Harry. I don't want you to drive my car home. I want you to drive _your_ car home." Harry's jaw dropped, and he shook his head, holding out the key to her.

"No. I can't take it," he said.

"Why not?" He put the key back into her hand.

"You've done too much for me as it is. You let me stay with you and not pay any rent or bills, you bought me a whole new wardrobe, plus shoes and a new suit when I took Hermione out to dinner, which you also paid for, then the cab afterward as well, you gave me a fabulous birthday party, I just can't let you give me a car for no reason." She smirked at him.

"You think I don't have an ulterior motive for doing all this stuff for you? First of all, I couldn't stand the clothes you were wearing and I refused to have them in my house. They didn't fit you, they were ragged, and just plain ridiculous. As for letting you stay with me, I wasn't about to have you go back to the abuse they laid on you for so long and see Hermione cry every day over me having done so. And you do pay your way."

He looked at her skeptically.

"You do the housework without being asked, your room is never a mess, and most importantly, you keep Hermione happy enough to stay out of those school books more than she absolutely had to be. I know that requires a lot of work. Both mental and.._ahem_...physical." Harry blushed as he caught her meaning.

"And the party was Hermione's idea. She paid for everything but the food. And I never 'really' got you a present during all of this, so here." She held out the key. He looked at it and back at her, then shook his head.

"No. Really, Laura. You have done more for me in one summer than anyone has in the last sixteen years. Please, don't give me the Camaro." He turned and walked to the subject of their disagreement.

"It's not that I don't want it. Far from that," he said as they reached the parking spot. "It's just that you have been giving me things without asking anything of me all summer. I know what you said, and I agree with all of it, but now I feel that I really _have_ been sponging off you." Laura smiled.

"All right. If you don't want me to _give_ you the car, then you can pay me for it. I was going to sell it soon anyway. I never really drive it and you seem to love it." Harry nodded on both counts. He 'did' love the car.

"That would make me feel better about taking it, then. How much do you want for it?" Laura considered this for a minute.

"How about five?" Harry's eyes nearly bugged out.

"Five thousand?" he gasped. Laura shook her head.

"Five hundred?" he asked, feeling a little calmer now. But again she shook her head.

"No, Harry. Just five. As you're going to need all your money to put petrol and oil in it, not to mention insurance, I think five is quite fair." Harry thought for a minute, then dug his wallet out of his pocket, pulled out a £5 note and handed it to her. She, in return, handed him the key and shook his hand. "Thank you, Mr. Potter. Now, you do understand that we have to go back inside, don't you?" She inclined her head to the building behind her. He looked confused for a second.

"We have to change the ownership papers over, honey," she explained. He nodded his understanding, retrieved them out of the center console where she had them stored, and followed her back into the license office.


	29. Different License And Use For His Car

Harry Potter And The Summer Of Surprise-Chapter 29

A Different Kind Of License & Another Use For His Car

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter.

"Deep breath...that's right. Now, picture yourself in front of Honeyduke's. Concentrate. And, one...two...three!"

The now long familiar feeling of being squeezed through a tight tube, then Harry found himself staring at the front door of the sweetshop in Hogsmeade. His companion checked him over for any sign of being splinched, nodded and made a note on her clipboard.

"All right, now back to the Ministry, please, Mr. Potter." He closed his eyes and concentrated very hard on where he had been in the Department of Magical Transportation office and when he opened them again, he was standing there. He was checked over once more and the woman made another check on the clipboard. She tore off the parchment, folded it and handed it to Harry.

"Take this to the front desk, Mr. Potter," she said. As he was about to leave the room, she added, "Send in Mr. Longbottom, would you?" Harry walked out the door and motioned for Neville to go in. He wanted to see what it was that the woman had written on the paper in his hand, but instead, headed nervously to the desk and handed it to the witch behind the counter.

She opened it and after a second, pointed her wand at a small blank card that lay next to her. Writing started to appear faster than Harry could read and the woman snatched it up before he could see it clearly. She motioned him to come around to her side and he gulped hard as he did so, and was placed in front of a blue screen. The witch walked across the room to a large camera and stepped behind it.

"Relax, Mr. Potter," she smiled, seeing how nervous Harry was. "I'm only going to take your picture for your license." Harry, realizing now that he had passed the test, grinned as the flash went off and after a second, the woman sent him back around the counter. She handed him a form to fill out while they developed the film and he went to sit in one of the few chairs that was open, barely noticing that it was next to Malfoy.

"Didn't think you'd pass on the first go, Potter?" he said in a low voice. Harry looked at him out the corner of his eye, but saw no trace of Malfoy's usual sarcasm. It looked as if Ginny Weasley was a good thing for him. He smiled, shook his head and set to filling out his form. When he had finished, he took it back to the woman, who took and shrank it to fit on the front of the card which now had his picture in one corner. She cast a protective charm over the lot and handed Harry his finished license.

"Congratulations, Harry," she said. He thanked her and turned to leave. As he reached the door, he put a disappointed expression on his face and went out of the office. Hermione looked up expectantly from her usual seat on the bench across the hall and seeing the look on his face, stood and came over to give him a comforting hug.

"It's all right, Harry," she said soothingly, looping her arm through his and leading him down the hall. "It's not the end of the world." He looked at her as they turned the corner.

"I don't know what I'm going to do," he said in a sad voice, and held out his license. "My picture came out really bad." Hermione squealed and grabbed the card from him, looked it over with delight, then threw her arms around his neck. He laughed along with her as they continued to the lifts and out of the Ministry.

"I don't think your picture turned out bad at all, Harry," Hermione said when they were back in the car. "I think it came out 'very' well." She smiled down at the image on his Apparition license. It grinned back, blinking suddenly in reaction to the flash of the camera. She noticed that his hair seemed to actually be a little under control and she cast a sidelong glance at him.

"What?" he asked as they headed out of London.

"I think they took a small liberty with your picture." Harry let go of the steering wheel with one hand and took his license from her. He looked at it when they stopped at an intersection.

"Hey! My hair's sort of flat!" He stepped on the accelerator and continued back to Surrey. "I think I'll have to owl them and ask why, and how, they did that. Maybe they can tell me how to do it for real." Hermione looked at him in horror.

"Don't you dare! I love your hair the way it is. If it was flat, I don't think that it would be you. Well, of course you'd be you, but I think you wouldn't be the Harry Potter that I know and love." Harry smiled.

"I was only kidding, 'Mione. I don't really care how they got my hair to lay down. As a matter of fact, I think I should ask them to reprint the picture as it's _supposed_ to be." He glanced over at her and grinned. "Just kidding again," he said when she gave him the same look. "I'll leave it alone. I can use it as something to show Vernon and Dudley that even _I _can look good." Hermione gave him a once over.

"You already look good," she said with a mischievous smirk on her face. Harry glanced down at his t-shirt and jeans. He saw her lay her hand on his thigh and felt it move slowly to rest between his legs.

"'Mione, you don't want to be doing that while I'm driving." She didn't move her hand, but turned in her seat to nuzzle his neck. "Or that," he added when she licked his pulse point. The hand between his thighs moved up to cup him and he had to struggle to concentrate on the road for a second. He reached down and removed her hand from his crotch. "Later, Love," he told her as he turned to kiss her.

Hermione moved back into her own seat, still facing him and pulled out her wand. Pointing it at her side of the windshield, she muttered, "Obscurio." Harry was about to ask what she was doing, when he saw that she was pulling up her shirt and bra, revealing her breasts to him.

"Hermione, you know that what you are doing is dangerous, don't you?" She ran her fingers over her nipples and stomach down past the waistband of her skirt, grasped the hem and pulled it up.

"I know that I want to christen your car with you," she whispered huskily. Harry stifled a groan as he saw all that she was doing on the edge of his peripheral vision. He glanced around, looking for a road to turn into, found one leading to a thick patch of woods and took it. He followed the path into the small forest and stopped the car on one side of a clearing a few minutes later.

Hermione grinned as he looked around to make sure that no one could see them and unfastening his seatbelt, he launched himself at her. She buried her hands in his hair as he sought out her mouth, thrusting his tongue to meet with hers. Her head fell back away from him as he dipped a hand between her legs to caress her through her slightly damp knickers and his mouth slid down her neck, fastening onto her throat. He shifted his position and winced in pain when he hit the console with his knee. He pulled away from Hermione and looked down at it.

"Bloody thing's in the way," he muttered and pulled his own wand out of the holster which he had strapped to his calf that day. He transfigured the inside of the vehicle into a bed and scooted back to lay down on it, beckoning Hermione towards him. She moved up next to him and replaced her hand on his now erect member. Harry groaned with relief and kicked off his shoes as she pulled his zipper down and undid the button, then helped her remove his jeans and boxers. He pulled his shirt over his head and let it drop next to him as Hermione did the same with her own, sliding out of her lower garments as well.

"I want you to do something for me," she said, pulling back to keep him from touching her. He looked at her questioningly. "I want to see you do what I heard outside your bedroom the first night you stayed with us." Harry blushed furiously.

"Only if I get to see you do what hearing me made you run to your room for as well," he replied cheekily. Hermione sat up as well as she could, turned her body to face Harry and spread her legs, giving him a view that he had come to love as much as he did her. She slid one hand between her thighs and touched a finger to her clit before sliding it inside the tunnel below it. Harry raised up on one elbow, wrapped his other hand around his shaft and stroked up and down as he watched her pleasure herself. Hermione's eyes were equally glued to his hand as he ran his thumb around the blood engorged head and heard his gasp as he touched the extra sensitive spot just under it. She ran her fingers up to focus on her clit, rubbing it slowly to draw out the sensations that were ensuing from her hand and watching Harry wank off in front of her. She adjusted her position to relieve the stiffness in her bum and slid closer to him.

Harry closed his eyes as she lay down in front of him, opening them again when he felt her free hand snake around his neck. He allowed himself to be pulled down into her kiss, opening his mouth with a moan as shock waves of desire shot through him. Hermione broke the kiss, locked gazes with Harry, and bit her lower lip as her orgasm hit, shorting out every nerve in her body. When she had calmed enough, she removed her hand from her now soaked slit and used it to pull him over her. He released his cock as it slid into her and started thrusting deep and hard. She grasped at his shoulders, her nails digging into his skin, and moaned loudly. Harry lifted his body, supporting his weight on his arms, his hands on either side of Hermione.

She winced as his head bumped hard against the roof of the car, but Harry was too wrapped up in what he was feeling to notice. He had moved deeper into her when he had changed his position and she wrapped her legs around his waist to bring him into her even more as her second and third orgasms hit. He sped up his pace, his need to cum boardering on desperation, and was now causing her to let out high pitched yelps of pleasure as he continued to thrust into her like a piston. Sweat ran down his face and neck, the strain of holding his body upright almost unbearable, then he felt his release start and fell onto his elbows, screaming incoherently as he emptied himself into Hermione's body. She wrapped her arms around his shaking frame, cooing to him softly as he struggled to gain oxygen for his lungs.

"I'm...sorry... Her... mione..." he managed to gasp out as he was finally able to gulp in air. "I...didn't...mean to ...hurt you." He rolled off her and lay on his back, still breathing very hard. She moved onto her side and turned his head to face her.

"Harry, I give you my permission now to hurt me like that any time you want to. Not that you did," she ammended as his emerald eyes clouded with fear. "But I want you to know that I am willing to do anything you want to. Within reason, of course." She reached over his head and picked up his clothes, then dropped them on his chest.

"Now, get dressed, please. After that little workout, I'm starving and I want to get home for dinner." She ran her hand to his spent cock and stroked it gently, sending little shudders through Harry. "Then we can have dessert," she whispered slyly in his ear, continuing to tease him. He had just started to get hard once more when she pulled away from him and began to put her clothes on.

He groaned his frustration, but dressed himself as she had asked, returned the car to its usual state and settled himself in the driver's seat. As they resumed the drive home, Harry rolled down the Camaro's windows to cool him off and to air out the smell of sex that lingered thickly inside the vehicle. He sure as hell didn't want to have to explain _that_ to Laura the next time she was in it with him.


	30. Teaching And Anger

Harry Potter And The Summer Of Surprise- Chapter 30

Teaching And Anger

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter.

"Again." Petunia's shoulders drooped in defeat. "Come on, Aunt Petunia," Harry said. "Hermione and I are going back to school in about a week. I want to help you as much as I can before then." Hermione nodded next to him.

"Me too. I promise this will be the last charm we ask you to do today." Harry's aunt looked at the feather on the desk in front of her. She had been trying to get the bloody thing to float for the better part of an hour, but even after Hermione had corrected the way she had been pronouncing the incantation, and 'Harry' had just finished correcting the way she moved her wand, the blasted feather still sat calmly on her nephew's desk. It seemed to be laughing at her.

_**FLOAT, damn you!**_ she thought angrily at it and raised her wand once more. "Wingardium Leviosa." She nearly fell backwards out of the chair when her feather rose up to eye level with her. Hermione clapped happily.

"You did it!" she cheered. Harry smiled and hugged his aunt.

"I knew you could do it." He looked at the list that he had in his hand. "Let's see, you've mastered most first year spells, some second and third year as well. How about going into fourth year next time?" She nodded, eager to be learning what had been denied her so many years ago. The feather floated back down and Petunia rose from the chair, staring giddily at it. Harry wrote something on a fresh sheet of paper from the notebook he was holding, tore it off and handed it to his aunt.

"What's this?" she asked, looking at the sheet. "Homework? How am I supposed to do this with Vernon and Dudley around?" Harry patted her on the shoulder comfortingly.

"It's just wand movements. You can practice them while you're doing the dishes or cleaning the house. You know those two have never paid attention to anything that happens around the house unless it concerned making me miserable, but I'm not going into that one." Hermione grasped his hand tightly and he turned to kiss her. His aunt smiled warmly at them.

"You really love each other, don't you?" Harry looked at her in surprise and nodded.

"I think we have since the day we met on the train," he said as Hermione wrapped her arms around his waist. "We just didn't know, or maybe didn't want to admit it to ourselves until this summer." He indicated the paper in Petunia's hand.

"Back on the subject at hand, for most of the fourth year spells and charms, you need to practice the movements that you've learned as they will go wrong if not done correctly. You may lose your eyebrows or worse. I'm also going to attempt to teach you to produce a Patronus." He picked up her wand and examined it. "By the way, you never answered my question the other day." Petunia looked at him confused. "Do you by chance remember what the core is?" She nodded.

"Scales from a Chinese Fireball Dragon," she answered. Harry and Hermione looked at each other in shock.

"I've never heard of a core like that before," Hermione said. Petunia took the wand from her nephew and waved it slightly, causing gold dust to emit from the tip.

"It was Ollivander's only attempt with the combination, and I had to try almost every wand in the shop before this one chose me." She lay the wand back in its box and put the lid on it. "I have to get going. Vernon will be home in an hour and Dudley soon after." She hugged Harry, then Hermione.

"Thank you both. I can't tell you how much this means to me." They smiled as she gathered her things and escorted her downstairs to the front door. As she headed to the car she had borrowed from a neighbor, she turned and looked back to her nephew and his girlfriend. "You take care of my sister's son, you hear?" Hermione nodded and rested her head on Harry's shoulder. "And Harry... now's a good a time as any to ask her." With that, she got into the car and was gone. Hermione noticed that Harry had stiffened at his aunt's words

"What did she mean? A good a time as any to ask me what?" He didn't answer, but turned and went back into the house. She followed him to the kitchen and watched him fill a glass with water. "Harry, what's going on? Why won't you tell me what Petunia meant?" He finished drinking his water before turning to face her.

"I didn't want to say anything until your birthday," he muttered.

"Anything about _what_, Harry?" He came around the island and took her hand, leading her back upstairs to his room.

"She and I have actually been having talks. About my parents, my life, my job," he looked over his shoulder at her as he released her hand and headed to the bookcase. "You, and our relationship." He pulled the white box off the shelf, sat it on top next to his broomstick and opened the lid.

He took something out of the box and after a minute, turned to face Hermione, his eyes filled with fear and apprehension. She was unable to see what it was that he held in his hand as he motioned her to sit down on his bed.

"That's wonderful, Harry. It's nice that you can finally confide in a member of your family, but what's going on? What is it that she wants you to ask me?" He shifted his weight from one foot to the other and looked down at his clenched hand.

"I found this at the bottom of the box. It was my mother's," he said, extending it to her. Hermione held out her hand and he dropped the object into it. She looked down and her breath caught in her throat. She stood shakily.

"Harry..." she whispered. He took it from her hand and sank to one knee before her.

"Hermione Jean Granger... will you marry me?" Tears filled her eyes as she stared at the ring that had been Lily's.

She raised her gaze to meet Harry's and nearly fell apart as she told him, "No." She fled from the room, leaving Harry there on the floor, his heart shattering into a billion pieces.

Hermione heard Harry enter the house from the back yard two days later and stood from her position at the dining room table. She went out into the kitchen and found him bent over picking up a sock that had fallen out of the laundry basket he was carrying. He saw her as he straightened back up.

"Hello," he said shortly and headed toward the door.

"Harry, wait!" He ignored her. She followed him up the stairs to his room, only to have the door shut in her face. Hermione sighed heavily and knocked. When she recieved no answer, she called through it, "Harry, please! You have every right to be angry with me, but you have to let me explain why I said 'no'!" She heard him moving around in the room and a second later, the door flew open to reveal an absolutely furious Harry.

"Explain?" he spat out, his words pure venom. "Explain _what_, Hermione? That you were just messing with my heart? That you don't really love me? Tell me, what could you have to explain that I haven't already figured out?" Tears sprang to her eyes and she crossed her arms protectively.

"None of that is true, and you know it," she whispered. Harry snorted.

"It's not? Then tell me," he stepped back and gestured for her to enter. "What is the truth?"

Hermione walked past him into the room over to the basket sitting on his bed. She started folding his boxers and socks, making little piles of both on the bed.

"Stop it," came Harry's voice from directly behind her. She jumped and turned to face him. He took the shirt she was holding and tossed it back into the basket. "I can fold my own laundry. And I asked you to tell me what the truth is." Hermione sat down on the bed as Harry crossed his arms. She couldn't bring herself to look him in the eye.

"The truth is I can't allow myself to be selfish where you are concerned."

Now Harry was stumped. "What are you talking about?" he asked.

"It nearly killed me when you asked me to marry you and I had to say no. But I can't stand the thought of losing you and being your widow if Voldemort succeeds in..." She looked up, tears running down her face. "I'm afraid that you'll die and I'll be all alone." He rolled his eyes.

"So you told me no to keep you from being alone if Voldemort kills me. Yeah, that makes me feel _loads_ better," he said sarcastically. Hermione shook her head violently.

"NO! You didn't let me finish, and that's not what I meant!" Harry went to the chair in the corner and flopped down in it.

"Then what _did_ you mean?" She stood up and crouched down in front of him, taking his hands in her own.

"I don't want to be without you, Harry. But you and I both know that if Voldemort found out that you were married, or engaged to be married, he'd use it to his advantage to hurt and kill you. I can't be the cause of that. I don't want you to be hurt anymore than you have to be in life. I don't want to be the reason you may be killed. I don't want you dealing with any more guilt over someone's death. And I don't want you to do anything drastic if Voldemort gets ahold of me. If we were married, you would do anything to get me to safety and you know it." Harry pulled his hands away and used one to lift her chin to look into her eyes.

"You think I won't do that now? Hermione, I knew the risks of starting a relationship with you, and have already ensured your safety." Her eyebrows knitted together in confusion. "I've named Laura and Ron as my secret keepers. Niether one would ever tell Voldemort where you are. The great git could be staring right at you and still not know you were there." He pulled her into his lap and kissed her. "You're safe, Love." Hermione stared at him in awe.

"You used the Fidelius Charm? That's a very complex spell." He smiled and pulled her closer to him.

"McGonagall and Remus helped. We did it one day not long after my birthday when you were at the library. I was going to tell you when you got home, but you insisted on starting your ancient runes homework and what with all the stuff with Aunt Petunia, I forgot about it until now." He shrugged apologetically.

"Oh, Harry, you went to all the trouble with placing a secret keeper to keep me safe from Voldemort. You really do love me, don't you?" He pulled back from nuzzling her neck to look her in the eye.

"How many times do I have to tell you or show you that you are the most important person in my life, 'Mione?" She appeared to think about this for a minute.

"Ummmm, how about the _rest _of your life?" she quiped, and squealed as Harry started tickling her.

"Does that mean that you _will_ marry me?" Harry asked when they had calmed down.

"Harry," Hermione said, her face serious, "I want a marriage to you to be without fear of one of us losing the other to Voldemort. You may have made me safe from him, but I can't do the same for you. So, I promise you this." She took his hand. "I will remain true to only you and if when the war is over, you still want to marry me, ask me again, I will give you the answer you want to hear. Because I very much want to be with you for the rest of my life." She kissed him and stood up. "I give you my word on that, my love." She turned to leave the room.

"Hermione?" She faced him once more. Harry stood and walked to the far side of his bed where he opened the drawer and pulled out the ring he had proposed with. "Will you take my mother's ring? You can wear it on a necklace if you like," he added when he saw the apprehension on her face. She smiled and nodded. He came around to the door and handed it to her. Hermione examined the small square cut diamond in the center of the ring, then the smaller stones on either side.

"Harry, are you sure this is the same ring?" He looked at it and nodded. "But the stones on either side of the diamond have changed. Before they were a garnet and an aquamarine." Harry took the hand that held the ring.

"And now they're a ruby and a saphire. I know. Aunt Petunia said that my mother told her the jewler had bewitched this ring so that when it's passed on from generation to generation, the stones on either side of the diamond change to show the birthstones of the couple." He closed her fingers around it and kissed the knuckles of each finger. She smiled and headed back downstairs. Harry went back to his laundry.

His inner voice added haughtily_** Yes, but they only change if the two are meant to be together until the end of their lives. **_


	31. Telling Laura About The Prophecy

Harry Potter And The Summer Of Surprise-Chapter 31

Telling Laura About The Prophecy

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter.

"Hermione!" Harry bellowed.

"What?" Hermione yelled back.

"Where's my Potions book?" Laura opened her door, looked out it and saw Harry leaning around his own door frame.

"It's in your trunk!" Harry shook his head.

"I looked there!" he called.

"It's under your Quidditch robes!" came the answer.

Harry went back into his room to search for his missing book, and Laura headed across the hall to find him on the edge of his bed, digging through his half packed trunk, throwing its contents haphazardly around. She glanced around his normally neat bedroom, which now looked as if a tornado had gone through and thinking it hadn't done enough damage, came back for a second go. Harry threw a set of scarlet robes aside and pulled the book he was searching for out.

"Aha! There you are!" he said triumphantly. "Found it! Thank-you, 'Mione!" he called loudly and resumed his packing. Laura entered the room, stepping gingerly over a stack of Harry's clothes.

"Um, Harry?" He looked up from his trunk. "Wouldn't it be easier...and quieter...for you to just go downstairs and ask her, or wait for her to come up instead of screaming back and forth through the house?" He grinned sheepishly.

"Sorry, Laura. But I really need to get this packed, as we're leaving in a few days and I can't seem to find half my schoolbooks," he looked around himself. "Or my wand, for that matter." Laura spied the handle of said wand and smiled.

"You're sitting on it," she said. Harry reached down and pulled it from under himself.

"Thanks," he said gratefully. "And I'm sorry about the room, too. I always put things off until the last minute and end up with a gigantic mess."

He flicked his wand and the clothes next to Laura flew into a neat stack in the corner of his now empty trunk. He continued flicking his wand until everything but his broom, Hedwig's cage, and the white box was packed.

"Accio, box," he muttered, and the box flew into his waiting hands. He opened the lid and took out his favorite picture. The one that Hermione had stumbled upon the first night he had stayed in this room. He beckoned for Laura to join him.

"This is my family," he said as she sat beside him on the bed. "My paternal grandparents, I'm sorry, I don't know their names, my dad James, my mum Lily, and there I am." He pointed to Lily's bulging stomach. Laura smiled as the subjects waved and James kissed his pregnant wife a few times. "This was taken two days before I was born," Harry added. "I just hope that I can have a similar picture with Hermione sometime in the future." Laura gave him a one armed hug.

"You will, Harry. I know it." Harry gave her a small smile and replaced the picture in the box. He then pulled out his birth certificate and handed it to her.

"Hermione told me that the way a witch and wizard can tell if their children have magical powers when they're born is by their eyes. See how this says that my eyes are green?" Laura looked at the form and chuckled.

"Yes, but your eyes _are_ green, Harry." Harry smirked.

"I know that, silly, but that's my birth certificate." Laura started and looked down to verify what he had just told her. He went on while she now thoroughly read the document. "She told me that if the baby's eyes aren't blue like a Muggle baby's would be, then the parents know that their child is a witch or wizard." He held out his hand for the certificate and put it back into the box as well.

"Harry, why are you telling me all of this?" Laura asked. Harry shrank the box to the size it had been when he found it in his trunk and placed it inside next to his books.

"I just wanted you to know some things about the man that your niece may be marrying." He looked at the woman seated next to him and laughed at her expression. "It's not official, yet. I _did_ ask her, but she said no." Understanding showed on Laura's face.

"That's why the two of you weren't talking for two days?" Harry nodded.

"Although, it was really my fault. She tried to tell me me why she turned me down, but I didn't want to hear it. She finally cornered me in here and forced me to listen. Well, more like she told me I had to let her explain, and I let her in, but her words still forced their way into my overly stubborn ears." Laura laughed. "So, we're not engaged. Yet. She wants me to ask her again when the war is over. If I come back that is," he added in a low mutter. Laura frowned at him.

"What do you mean by that?" she asked.

"How much did Hermione _really _tell you about Voldemort?" Laura's face looked thoughtful for a second.

"That he was the one that killed your parents, and that he came back towards the end of your fourth year. Don't worry, Harry, someone will rid the world of this total nutter. You don't have to worry about him finding you and killing off the last of the Potter family." Harry shook his head and stood up.

"No, Laura. _Someone_ won't defeat Voldemort. _I_ have to defeat him." He turned away and walked to the window.

"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches...born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies... and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not...and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives...the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies. I've only told Hermione and Ron about that. It's why I wasn't going back to Hogwarts this year, but I want to be an Auror, so I changed my mind." He looked over his shoulder. "What I just told you was a prophecy that was told just before I was born. Voldemort came to my parents' home after they were ratted out by their secret keeper. He was one of Voldemort's followers." He looked out the window again.

"On Halloween night, he came and killed my father, my mother shielded me and begged him not to hurt me, and he killed her too, then came after me. Because of my mum's sacrifice, because she had protected me with her life, the curse bounced off me and hit Voldemort instead. I was left alone with just a cut." He turned to face her and pulled his hair back off his forehead. "This is the mark that I got from it." Laura's eyes were shining with tears as he sat down on the bed and continued.

"This scar is also a way for me to tell what he's feeling. There have been times that it's hurt so bad, that I've gotten sick. Actually to the point that I've thrown up. But it also helps me to know what he's up to, although he seems to have blocked me out this past year. Professor Dumbledore told me before he died that Voldemort had put parts of himself inside various objects that he would retrieve when he needed them. They were to give him immortality, but we knew about them and I personally have gotten rid of one and Dumbledore another." He paused as a large barn owl soared through his open window and dropped a letter into his lap, then flew out again. He slit it open and read the contents.

"Three more have been destroyed." Laura's expression was confused. "He had found two of the founders' artifacts, and used them as a horcrux. That's what it's called that he is doing to make himself immortal. He's deviding his soul into pieces and placing them into objects to keep them safe until he wants them back. Anyway, the artifacts have been destroyed, one of them was taken by someone known only as R.A.B., but it says here that it mysteriously showed up at Order headquarters with instructions to destroy it too, and the snake that Voldemort kept with him at all times has died. Well, she was killed, but that horcrux is gone as well." Hermione entered the room just as Harry finished his explanation, an envelope clutched in her hand.

"Harry, what's going on? I just got a letter that says that Hufflepuff's cup and the real locket, whatever that means, have been detroyed and that awful snake you told me about in fourth year has been killed. I have no idea what this is about. Do you?" Harry nodded and motioned her to join him and Laura. She crossed the room and sank to her knees in front of him.

"They were three of Voldemort's horcruxes. I don't know who sent me the letter, but it looks like..." He looked at the letter once more. "It looks like Snape's writting." Hermione gulped.

"I was afraid of that," she said softly.


	32. The Dursleys Find Out

Harry Potter And The Summer Of Surprise-Chapter 32

The Dursleys Find Out

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter.

Harry sat up straight in his bed, drenched in sweat. Someone knocked at his door and he jumped at the sound.

"Harry, are you up?" He ran a trembling hand through his black hair and over his face.

"Yes, 'Mione. I'll be down in a little bit," he answered.

"You'd better hurry. Aunt Laura wants to leave for the station in an hour or so." He heard her head toward the stairs and got shakily out of bed, looking down at the large spot that had become soaked with his sweat during his nightmare. The memory was becoming foggy, but he knew that it had something to do with Voldemort getting ahold of Ron and Laura, forcing them to tell where Hermione was.

_**I need to strip the bed before I go downstairs**_ Harry thought.

The bedclothes immediately started flying off the mattress and into the bathroom to deposit themselves in the hamper. Harry smiled a little. Professor McGonagall had explained when he had told her what had happened to the bed the morning that Hermione's parents had changed their minds, that Harry had aquired the unusual talent of thought magic. This meant that he had the ability to do small bits of magic just by thinking about it. When he had asked if it wasn't just nonverbal magic, she had shaken her head and said that there was no incantation involved as with nonverbal magic. He simply had to think of what he wanted to happen. He followed the last pillowcase into the bathroom and started the shower. As he was in a hurry, he was in and out, and had just finished dressing when Hermione knocked on the door again.

"Are you coming down to breakfast or not, Harry? Aunt Laura's getting worried about you." Harry opened the door and smiled wanly at her.

"I had to take a shower first, Love." She saw that he was trembling slightly.

"Did you have another nightmare?" she asked. He hesitated, then nodded. Hermione wrapped her arms around him. "Oh, Harry. I don't know what to do to help you. Voldemort is invading your mind, tormenting you with his hate again, and..." Harry cut her off.

"He's not getting into my mind, 'Mione. These are just normal nightmares." he lied to comfort her.

"Harry, Hermione! Let's get a move on, we have to leave for London soon!" Laura called. Hermione looked at Harry skeptically, not really believing his answer, then took his hand and dragged him downstairs to the kitchen. To his surprise, Petunia was sitting at the table, along with Dudley and Vernon. Harry's hand went immediately for his wand, which was strapped to his arm under the sleeve of his jumper. Hermione stopped him as Petunia stood and took his hand, pulling him over to the last empty seat. Harry glared at the other two Dursley's who were eyeing him, not with their usual hatred, but with a small amount of apprehension.

"I thought I told you that I didn't want them to know where I was," he ground out, turing his blazing eyes to Petunia as she sat down again. She held up her hands in defense.

"They aren't here to start anything, Harry. They're here for an anouncement and to say good-bye to you." Harry goggled at his aunt.

"What anouncement?" he queried.

"The one that I'm going to need your help with," she whispered back, pointing secretly to the arm that he had his wand holster strapped to. Hermione understood and left the kitchen to retrieve Petunia's wand. She handed it to the woman upon her return and stood next to Harry's seat, one hand on his shoulder. Vernon and Dudley stared at the wand with fear in their eyes.

Petunia took a deep breath and pointed it at the plate that Laura had just sat before Harry and said, "Wingardium Leviosa." The plate rose a few inches and hovered a second before lowering itself back to the table. Her husband and son flew backwards out of their seats, the chairs clattering to the floor. Vernon's face went a familiar shade of purple and he turned to glare at Harry and Hermione.

"What did you do to my wife?" he bellowed.

Harry clamly met his eyes and replied, "Nothing." Dudley whimpered and covered his enormous backside with his hands and Harry clenched his fists on the table top. "Oh, come off it, _Dudders_. If you were going to get another tail, I would have done it by now." His uncle snorted.

"You can't. You aren't allowed to use _it _outside of school and you know it. Now what have you done to Petunia?" he growled at Harry.

"The word is _magic_, and as I am now seventeen, I _can_ and _do_ use magic whenever I like, thank you." Petunia put up her hands to silence the argument.

"Vernon, stop. Just stop. They didn't do anything to me. I should have told you this when we met, but after seeing your reaction to Lily and James, I knew that if you ever found out my secret, you would hate me. Then when we had Dudley, I was even more afraid to tell you, and kept a close watch on what he did at all times. But the final reason that I couldn't tell you about it is sitting here at the table. I knew that Harry was a wizard all along. Lily and James were ecstatic to find that their only child was going to the school we had all attended." Vernon's face registered shock before he realized why.

"Hang on. What do you mean the school that you all attended? You're not a freak, like these two." He gestured to Harry and Hermione. Harry's wand flew into his hand and he was standing, around the table, and pointing it at his uncle's throat before any of the women could stop him.

"I don't care what you call me," he hissed at the man, whose face had turned green. "I've heard it out of you since I was eleven. But if I 'ever' hear you insult the woman I love again..." Hermione's hand settled upon his wrist and pushed it down.

"Harry, Love, don't. He isn't worth going to Azkaban for." Petunia pulled her nephew back to his seat and forced him into it. He sat down rather hard and glared at his uncle.

"Honestly, Vernon, this has to stop! I don't want to hear you call Harry a freak anymore. He has talents that you don't, and that's the end of it." She looked at her son. "Dudders could have inherited them, too, you know." Dudley's eyes widened in fear of the thought that he could have been like Harry. Harry's emerald eyes glittered as he started laughing sacastically at his cousin's expression.

"You see, Hermione? Even though he now knows that his mother is a witch, he still thinks magic is something to be feared and loathed. I'm out of here. I'll drive myself to the station." He started to rise out of his chair only to be stopped by Laura and Hermione.

"Now just a minute, Harry. We have to make them understand all that's happened to your aunt," Laura said as she removed her hand from his shoulder.

"And how you and I have helped her," Hermione added in a whisper. Harry took a deep breath to calm himself, and motioned for Vernon and Dudley to sit back down. Over the next twenty minutes, Harry, Hermione and Petunia, as best they could, explained about Petunia's being born a witch, having only been to Hogwarts for one year, how she had been so resentful of her sister's continuing powers, and her jealousy of Harry when he had come to live with them. When they had finished, Harry lay his fork down upon his now empty plate and looked at the clock.

"Bloody hell!" He jumped out of his chair and hurried his plate to the sink. "We have to get going in about ten minutes, and I don't think that they _really_ understand this yet." Hermione handed him the keys to his car and kissed his cheek.

"Then we'll take them with us." She headed to the front door and outside to the Camaro. The others followed her and stepped out onto the porch just as she finished chanting an enlargement charm on the vehicle. Harry walked over to his girlfriend and smiled at her as he hugged her tightly.

"Thank you, 'Mione. This will give Aunt Petunia more time to explain and make them accept her for what she _really_ is." He turned to face the others. "Come on. We have to go, so get in the car." Vernon's mustache ruffled disbelievingly.

"Are you _mad_? There's no way all of us can fit in that tiny little backseat!" Harry grinned.

"Shows how much you know about magic. There's enough room for our stuff, you, Aunt Petunia, Hermione, me, since I'll be driving, and even the pig in a wig." The Dursleys looked around for the animal that Harry had mentioned.

"Harry," Laura said warningly as Harry's grin curled into an amused smirk.

"Oh, all right," he conceded. "And even Dudley." His cousin bristled as he realized that it was him that Harry had been referring to. "Everyone in." Harry continued as Hermione finished loading their trunks, Crookshanks and Hedwig into the back seat.

"You too, Laura," he added, noticing that she was hanging back from the others. He stepped forward and took her arm. "How else am I going to get my car back here? I can't very well take it with me." He engulfed her in a hug.

"Thank you for everything, Laura. I know that I've been thanking you all summer, but I mean it. You've done a lot for me and I won't forget it." He motioned her into the car and slid into the front seat next to Hermione, started the engine and they began their way to King's Cross Station.


	33. The Trio Get Into Mischief On The Train

Harry Potter And The Summer Of Surprise-Chapter 33

The Trio Get Into Mischief On The Train

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter.

"Is this everyone?" Harry did a quick head count. "Seven, eight. And Hermione and I make ten. O.K., Hermione, since you know more about this than I do, I'll let you handle it so I can learn something about being Head Boy." He comically thrust out his chest, flashing his badge. Three of the girls giggled and the last, of course a Slytherin, sulked.

The Hufflepuff girl that Harry sat down next to seemed to swoon at the thought of being in such close proximity to the famous Harry Potter. He smiled warmly at her and turned his attention back to Hermione who was giving them instructions.

"Well, first thing we need to do, I guess, is get everyone's names." She pulled out a quill and some parchment from the inside pocket of her jacket. "Hufflepuffs first," she said, sitting in the last available seat, which happened to be next to the Slytherins. They started to roll their eyes, but seeing Harry's glare, they immediately thought better of this.

The girl next to Harry said, "Daisy Sheldon." She turned to look at Harry again. "My mother, Agnes, said that she was the attending mediwitch when you were born. Is that true?" Harry whipped his head around to face her.

"Your mother is Agnes Sheldon?" Daisy nodded. Harry verified the inquiry, gave her a little smile and turned to look at Hermione once more. She smiled back as the other Hufflepuff spoke up.

"Jeremiah Smythe, III." Harry turned around towards the boy.

"Is your father a mediwizard?" he asked. Jeremiah nodded.

"I was named after him and my grandfather." he stated.

"Duncan Shank," said the Ravenclaw boy.

"Audrey White," said his counterpart. The Gryffindors were next, Trent Baird and Madison Tremaine. Finally the Slytherins were Annie Burlew and Jason Parks. Hermione set her parchment aside and addressed the rest of the group assembled in the compartment.

"Now, I'm sure that Professor McGonagall has told all of you that being a Hogwarts prefect carries a lot of responsibility. You have to help maintain order and watch for any signs of trouble from any and all students. Now while we're on the Hogwarts Express, the most you have to do is patrol the corridors periodically, but you can still sit with your friends." She paused for a second to take a breath.

"However," she continued. "This doesn't mean that you can start giving out detentions for little things like looking at the sky for more than a second just because you don't care for the student or their house. But when we arrive at the castle, and the first years have been sorted, you lot are responsible for helping your new housemates get to where they need to go and show them the way to their houses. Well, that's all I can think of. Harry, is there anything that you want to add?"

All eyes turned to Harry. He thought for a second, then said, "Yes. For the last six years, I have noticed that the prefects and even the Head Boy and Girl have always shown favoritism to the members of their own houses. This has to stop. We got enough of it from Snape, choosing to let Slytherins get away with just about anything short of physical harm to another student, and I think that it's gone on long enough. Don't be afraid to give your own housemates a detention if you think they deserve it. I'm sure that there have been a fair number of times that I should have gotten a detention from a prefect in my own house but didn't because of the fact that I was in Gryffindor, and probably because I'm Harry Potter. I want you two," he pointed to Trent and Madison, "To feel free to give me detention if I start causing trouble in the halls or on the grounds." Madison giggled and Trent grinned. They both nodded in agreement. "That's all that I can think of, so I'm done." Everyone but the Slytherins laughed.

"All right, then," Hermione said. "Good luck and have a good year." The fifth years all stood and left the compartment. Hermione stared out the window as Harry rose and slid the door shut behind the others. "Harry, do you realize this will be the last time that we are heading to Howarts on this train?" she asked as Harry resumed his seat. He nodded silently.

"I wonder who our Defense Against The Dark Arts teacher will be now that Snape has left," she added. She looked at him now, a worried expression on her face. "And it just occured to me now that Professor McGonagall is Headmistress. Is she still going to teach Transfiguration?" Harry shrugged.

"Dunno, but I'm not really concerned about that right now. Come here." She smiled and moved across the compartment to sit next to him. He wrapped one arm around her and sighed.

"What are you thinking?" Hermione asked. Harry looked out the window.

"About how it's strange that the Hufflepuff prefects are the children of the medistaff that were there when I was born. I mean, what are the chances of that happening? But it makes me happy to know that maybe their parents can tell me something about 'my' parents." Hermione rested her head on his shoulder and smiled.

"How happy?" she asked, sliding her hand up his thigh.

"Hermione Granger!" Harry said in mock surprise. "Is it possible that the Head Girl is attempting to get into some mischief?" Hermione pulled out her wand and used it to draw the blinds on the windows of the compartment, lock the door tightly and cast a silencing charm.

"Oh, I'd say there's a definite possibility." She stood and faced him, shucking off her jacket and shoes, then started to unbutton her blouse. Harry's green eyes started to darken instantly as she removed the garment and stood before him in her skirt and lacy bra.

"Isn't Ron waiting for us?" he asked breathlessly.

"He can wait a little longer. I think that he may want this time alone with Lavender anyway," she replied as she stripped off her bra and shimmied out of the matching bikini briefs she was wearing under her skirt.

Knowing that she was now naked underneath, forced Harry to shift his position as his arousal made itself known against the fly of his jeans. Hermione dropped to her knees in front of him and stroked the hard ridge his penis had formed beneath the denim. Harry let his head fall back as she undid the fastenings and reached inside to release him. His hands clenched the seat on either side of him when she started to lick around the head and took him slowly into her mouth. His mouth fell open and a sigh escaped him as she set in to sucking his entire length at a leisurely pace. He looked down to see her cinnamon eyes staring back while she slid up and down over him, and it made him moan. He felt her smile around him.

"You liked that didn't you, Miss Granger? You like driving me out of my mind?" Another smile from her as he pulled her off his cock and lay her down on the seat next to him. Harry moved over her, captured one of her nipples between his teeth and pulled her skirt up to her waist. Hermione's right hand tangled in his hair, drawing his head closer to her.

"Yes, Harry. I do like...oh, my God..." Harry had slid one finger inside her slick tunnel. "Ohhhhh! Don't stop, Harry. I do like driving you...OHHHHHHHH!...out of your mind. Just as...ohhh... mmmmmm...you are doing to me right now." Her free hand sought out his erection, but he batted it away.

"Now, now, 'Mione. You got to have your bit of fun. It's my turn." He trailed kisses down her body, teasing her belly button on the way and lapped at the wetness that had spread along the insides of her thighs before moving where she desperately wanted him to be. The tip of his tongue ran between her clit and hole then focused on the little bud. Hermione squirmed underneath his ministrations, her body feeling as if he had cast Wingardium Leviosa upon it. Her orgasm slammed into her and her back arched as Harry continued to move his finger in and out her hole and lick her quivering clit. Her head fell back and she let out a scream. Harry landed on the floor in shock as Hermione flew off the seat and across the compartment.

"What? Why did you do that?" he asked as he got up off the floor and stared at her cowering in the corner, her blouse clutched to her chest.

"Ron's on the other side of the door! He was watching us!" she hissed back.

"What? How? You drew all the blinds!" Hermione grabbed her bra off the floor and pulled it on.

"There's a slight gap on the sides. I saw him, that's why I screamed and jumped off the bench." Harry hurriedly pulled his boxers over his erection and did up his jeans. He waited for Hermione to put her blouse back on, then went to the door, unlocked and opened it. He stood aside and beckoned the tall redhead into the compartment. Ron entered, looking very uncomfortable. Harry slid the door closed again and ran his hand through his hair.

"How much did you see?" he asked.

Ron flushed deeply and mumbled, "A fair bit." Hermione sank onto the seat next to her and covered her face with her hands.

"That means _everything_!" she groaned. Harry glanced at Ron, and started to blush when their friend nodded.

"Well then, I have only one question," Harry began. Hermione and Ron both looked at him. "What do we do now? I mean do we act as if it never happened and let it fester until we all blow up, or do we talk about it and get on with our friendship?" He sat next to Hermione.

"Or you can just continue where you left off," Ron suggested cheekily. The other two looked at their friend in Harry grinned as he realized now that Ron's flush may not have been one of embarrassment, but of arousal. A quick glance down verified that. He felt his girlfriend shift next to him and knew that she had also noted Ron's current physical state. They both looked at Hermione, who acted slightly uncomfortable with this probability.

"I don't know," she said.

"I was kidding, Hermione!" Ron chided as he sat across from them. Harry noted that he seemed just a little disappointed. "I didn't really expect the two of you to shag right in front of me. I came looking for you when I saw the prefects roaming around and you two didn't show up."

Harry's grinned widened. "I told you he was waiting for us." He saw that Ron's erection hadn't diminished and he seemed to be stealing glances to Hermione's chest every now and then. He snuck a sidelong glance at his girlfriend and saw that her gaze had moved to their friend's lap, but she quickly averted her eyes when she saw that Harry was looking at her.

_**Get your mind out of the gutter, Potter**_ the voice in his head ordered. _**Do you really want Ron watching you get it on with your girfriend? **_Harry felt his own erection resurge. _**Oh my God! You're getting turned on by this! You **_**do**_** want him to watch, don't you?**_

He shifted position and responded _**Oh, shut up. Why are you even putting your two bits in anyway? I've listened to you all summer and taken your advice even when I thought that you were completely nutters, but this time, I'm going with my feelings. I think that... **_His mental conversation was cut off by Hermione waving her hand in front of his eyes. He looked around and saw that both of them were staring at him, Hermione with concern, Ron with amusement.

"What?" he asked. "What's wrong?" Hermione studied his face for a second.

"Ron asked if you had any idea who the new teachers were, and I told him that we had already discussed this, then we both noticed that you seemed to be off in outer space. Are you O.K., Harry?" He nodded.

"I'm fine." He turned his body to face her. "I was just thinking, why not?" Her expression became confused.

"Why don't we know who the teachers are?" she asked.

"No. Why don't we do it?" More confusion from both Hermione and Ron. Harry leaned over to nuzzle his girlfriend's neck. "I still want to be inside you," he whispered in her ear as his tongue swirled around the lobe. Her eyes widened as she realized that he was suggesting that they...

"Harry Potter! You have _got_ to be mental!" she admonished, but her eyes flashed with desire.

"What?" Ron asked.

"I was merely suggesting that we _do_ continue what we were doing," Harry replied. Ron nearly fell out of his seat.

"What? I was _joking_! I didn't mean that...you should..." He fell silent as he watched Hermione grab Harry by the back of his head and thrust her tongue into his mouth. When they seperated, she turned to Ron.

"I just have a few conditions about you watching us." He nodded, dumbfounded. "One- you don't join in. I want it to be just Harry and me. You can wank off if you want, but only Harry gets to touch me." Another nod from Ron. "Two- you don't tell anyone about this. If I find out that you have, and believe me I will, I'll not only hex you, I'll curse you into next month. God, I wish that I knew how to do a memory charm." Harry cleared his throat.

"I know how. But would that really be fair to Ron? We're going to let him watch us shag, then you want to remove all memory of it?" She nodded.

"You're right, Harry, that wouldn't be fair." She reached down and pulled her wand out of her jacket pocket.

"What are you going to do?" Ron asked nervously, thinking of the other hexes Hermione knew.

"Just something that I should have had the foresight to in the first place." She halted for a second and looked to the redhead. "What about Lavender? Won't she come looking for you?" He shook his head.

"She said that she was going to take a nap. She didn't sleep well last night, she hasn't felt well for the last week." Harry's eyebrows drew together in concern.

"She's not...pregnant...is she?" Ron gave him a look that said, _Are you absolutely crazy?_ and shook his head.

"No. We haven't gotten that far, yet." Harry heard the slight irritation in his friend's voice. Hermione, miffed that no one was paying attention to her, grabbed Harry's crotch. He hissed and dropped his head back with a moan as she squeezed gently.

"Now that I have your attention, I'm just going to make sure that no one else can possibly see into this compartment. Adherius!" She nodded with satisfaction as the blinds plastered themselves to the frames of the doors and then relocked the door with an anti-unlocking charm. "There. Alohomora won't work on that. By the way, Ron, did you hear anything while you were watching us?" He shook his head. "Well, just in case, we'd better do the silencing charm again. I don't know if it wore off when you opened the door, Harry."

She pointed her wand at the door and muttered, "Silencio." Then throwing the wand over her shoulder, she launched herself at Harry, who fell backward on the bench. He brought his hands up to her breasts as she straddled him and waged another war with his tongue. Harry groaned loudly when she ground her hips into his pelvis, the friction against his member almost unbearable. It was straining the fabric of his jeans, begging to be released.

Hermione broke the kiss and sat up straight, unbuttoned her blouse and tossed it and her bra, which she had never rehooked, aside. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Ron's jaw drop.

"What?" she asked. "You didn't honestly think that Harry and I were going to do this completely dressed, did you? That would be a bit hard." She giggled as Harry bucked his hips into her. "Just like Harry." She leaned down and locked her mouth over his while she helped him to sit up. They seperated just long enough for Hermione to pull his jumper over his head, knocking his glasses off at the same time. Ron's eyes became wider and wider as his two friends divested each other of their clothing. He wasn't really sure that he wanted to see his best friend starkers, but as Hermione said, it would be a bit difficult for them to continue with Harry being clothed from the waist down. He squirmed in his seat when Hermione's hands went for Harry's belt buckle, then the fastenings on his jeans.

Ron felt his own becoming more and more tight as he watched the scene before him. When he saw Hermione starting to slide down Harry's body, his jeans felt as if they were cutting off the circulation to his crotch. He pulled up his t-shirt and unzipped his fly, sighing with relief as the pressure let up, but he had to completely undo them when Hermione wrapped her mouth around her boyfriend's erection.

_**I wish I could get a **_**certain girl **_**to do that to me**_ he thought as he watched them. His blue eyes flew to his friend's face when he heard a sudden hiss. Harry's eyes were screwed shut and his jaw was clenched. Ron thought that Hermione must have hurt him, but then Harry's mouth opened and he let out a long throaty moan. He brought his hands up above his head to grab hold of the bench's armrest. He gripped it so tightly, that Ron was sure that Harry was going to rip it from the bench altogether. After a few minutes, Harry moved his hands to Hermione's shoulders and pushed her away from his cock before sitting up and pulling her to him. He latched onto one of her nipples as she settled onto his lap, though still hovering just above his tip. Harry looked up at her, lust filling his emerald eyes. He pulled away from her breast just enough to be able to speak.

"Please," he whispered, swirling his tongue around the taut bud. Hermione shuddered.

"Please what, Harry?" she teased, lowering to allow only his tip to enter her waiting depths.

"Please fuck me. I want you so bad. Please."

Hermione pushed him gently onto his back once more and slid down over him. She quickly found the rhythm that she knew would pleasure him the most. He rewarded her with a loud series of moans as he attempted to thrust up into her.

Harry let out a litany of phrases, such as "Oh, shit," and "fuck!" as Hermione increased the pace slowly, intending to make his orgasm the best to date. Both of them seemed to forget that Ron was still there watching them, his own orgasm coming closer with every pump from his hand. Harry's hands went to Hermione's hips, holding her in place as he started slamming up into her furiously, a look of immense concentration upon his face. His back arched a few seconds later and he let out a yell that mingled with Hermione's as they came simultaniously.

That was it for Ron. His eyes clamped shut and his body doubled over as his cum shot forcefully into his hand and onto the floor in front of him. A loud moan escaped his lips. Harry and Hermione both jumped. They _had_ forgotten about Ron. They both turned their heads to face him and saw that he was bent over, facing the floor, shaking, his jeans around his knees, and a large pool of cum on the floor between his feet. He slowly sat upright and opened his eyes to see his two friends watching him now as he had them.

A wide grin spread across Harry's face as Hermione asked the redhead, "Feel better?" Ron blushed and gave her a short nod, then pulled his pants up to his waist. The couple detangled themselves, retrieved their clothing and began dressing. When they were all fully clothed, Hermione picked up her wand from where it had landed and pointed it to the stain Ron had created.

"Can't have anyone figure out what went on in here, can we? Scourgify!" Harry opened the window to air out the compartment and sat down. He and Ron watched Hermione cautiously peel back one of the blinds and peer out into the corridor. She breathed a sigh of relief.

"Good. It's empty. I just hope that no one came along while we were...occupied." She waved her wand and the blinds raised themselves.

"I'm starving!" said Harry. "What time is it?"

Hermione looked at her watch as she sat next to him. "Too late, Love. She's already been through. You'll have to wait until we get to the castle."

They heard footsteps outside their door and looked up to see Lavender, Malfoy and Ginny standing there. Ginny dropped her eyes from Harry's as she entered and took a seat next to her brother.

"Here you are, Ron! I woke up from my nap, and couldn't find you." Lavender plopped down on Ron's other side. Malfoy merely hovered in the door, unsure about whether he would be allowed to enter, given the company.

Ron glared at him, and Harry wasn't entirely sure if it was because of Ginny's pregnancy or if he still believed Draco was a Death Eater. Harry had confronted him about it during their second Apparition class, and was informed that he had been acting under Scrimgeour's orders to get as close to the Death Eaters as humanly possible without actually becoming one of them. He had been making reports to the Ministry all during the last school year. That was were he was going when he disappeared off the Marauder's Map. He had been meeting with people from the Ministry in Diagon Alley. The Death Eaters had decided to follow him on one of his return trips the night that Dumbledore had been killed.

He had apologized to Harry for treating him the way he had all these years and had even hugged Hermione. His last words before leaving had been that he would even take Veritiserum if the other two didn't believe him. Harry now smiled and gestured for him to sit down. Ron scowled, but remained silent. Ginny lay one hand on her stomach, and took Malfoy's with the other. Hermione saw a flash from the diamond on the girl's finger and thought of the ring that was now safely tucked into her jewelry box in her trunk.

"I'm leaving. Come on, Lavender." Ron stood and walked out the door. Ginny frowned as Lavender followed him and turned to the other two.

"That didn't go very well, did it?"


	34. Before The Sorting

Harry Potter And The Summer Of Surprise-Chapter 34

Before The Sorting

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter.

"Ron, wait up! Come on already! I need to talk to you, will you wait?" Harry clutched at the stitch in his side that had come from trying to catch his friend, who was still not answering. Instead of going into the Great Hall, he headed for the marble staircase and started up it. Harry left Hermione standing at the door and sprinted after the tall redhead. He caught him by the arm just as he was halfway up the steps. Ron wrenched away, the sleeve of his robe tearing along its seam.

"Now look what you did. Thanks a lot, Harry," he said and continued on his way.

"But...I didn't..." Harry looked back down the staircase, a large group of people were watching with great interest. He put his hands on his hips and turned to face them all. "What's the matter? Never seen two people talk before? Get in there!" He pointed towards the Great Hall. Hermione joined him forcing her way through the crowd now hurrying to get to the sorting and dinner, and they both went after their friend. They found him just at the top of the stairs, kicking the wall savagely.

"You're going to break your toes, mate. Aren't you going to the feast?" Ron shook his head.

"I'm not hungry." Hermione and Harry looked at each other in horror. Ron Weasley, not hungry? This was worse than they thought. "I know the two of you are, though. Go on. I'd rather be by myself right now." Harry's stomach let out a low rumble. He was absolutely famished, having missed the lunch cart due to their activities on the train, he hadn't eaten since breakfast. Ron flopped down on the floor and stared down at his shoes. Hermione sat next to him.

"Ron, what is it? Are you upset about what happened on the train? What happened between the three of us, that is?" He shook his head. Harry crouched in front of them.

"Is it Ginny?" he asked quietly. His friend cringed and nodded.

"I can't believe she'd betray her family like this. And with that slimy git, too." Harry ran a hand through his hair.

"Ron, has Malfoy said anything to you about what he was doing last year?" Ron looked up.

"Like I want to talk to the person responsible for Snape killing Dumbledore! Yeah, he tried to talk to me, but I don't want to hear anything that he has to say." He stood up quickly, causing Harry to fall on his rear end. "He's taken advantage of my family and there's nothing I can do about it. Mum and Dad won't let me touch him because Ginny's pregnant with his baby. But I will _not_ spend the rest of my life being related to that sleazeball!" Hermione rose and put her hand on Ron's shoulder.

"Ron, you really _do_ have to listen to him. He's really not the same person that we had come to know and hate for that last six years. He's working for the Ministry as a spy for our side. And he really does love your sister." He shook off her hand.

"Yeah? Well, I'll bet that he is just acting on You-Know-Who's orders to get as close to Harry as possible. Did you two think of that? Now go to dinner and leave me alone." He spun on his heel and started off down the hall.

"Ron," Harry called after him. "He offered to take Veritiserum." The redhead stopped short and looked over his shoulder.

"He did what?" Hermione reached down and helped Harry off the floor.

"He said that he would take Veritiserum to prove that he's not working for Voldemort. And that he loves Ginny. I believe him. I've been around him a fair few times this summer and he had every chance to finish me off. He was nothing but nice to me. He even hugged Hermione. You know that he wouldn't do that for anything if he hadn't changed. Now come on, you _have_ to be hungry. You didn't eat anything on the train, either."

He heard Ron's stomach growl, and chuckled. "See? Come on." Hermione grasped Harry's hand and held out her other for Ron to take. He sighed and joined them.

"All right. I'll go down and eat." They made their way down the staircase and toward the Great Hall's door. "But I'm taking him up on the offer to take the Veritiserum." They entered the Hall and found their seats just in time for the final sorting of their school careers.


	35. Veritiserum

Harry Potter And The Summer Of Surprise-Chapter 35

Veritiserum

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter.

"Are you sure that you want to go through with this, Ron? You're only going to be proven wrong, you know." Ron glared at the group assembled in the room and addressed Ginny.

"I'll be the judge of that, thanks. Or rather, _this _will be." He held up the small vial of Veritiserum that he and Harry had somehow been able to knick from Pofessor Slughorn's office.

"Funny, I don't remember Slughorn's office being this dark and gloomy. It reminds me of when Snape was here," he had remarked to Harry when they entered the room. Harry had shuddered at the thought that Snape, Dumbledore's murderer, would be back for their final year at Hogwart's. There was no chance of that, though. Slughorn had been at the head table, and a new teacher was there. The new addition had been a witch, tall, dark haired, and severe looking. Somewhat like Professor McGonagall, who had been seated in the chair that Dumbledore had been in for the last six years of Harry's school career, empty seats on either side of her. None of them had noticed any sign of Snape. A lot of the students seemed apprehensive about another year in the school where someone had been killed by the worst of the unforgivable curses at the end of the year before.

Some hadn't returned.

Eloise Midgen (the Patil twins said she had been transfered to Beauxbatons for her final year), Hannah Abbott, Colin and Denis Creevey, Dean Thomas just to name a few.

All during the sorting, Ron could talk about nothing but putting Malfoy under the Veritiserum to learn the truth about what had happened during that fateful night, and whether he was being honest to Ginny about his feelings, not even noting that many of the remaining students were goggling at the hourglasses.

It seemed that Gryffindor had already aquired a vast amount of points, and the year hadn't even officially started yet.. He and Harry went under the invisibility cloak right after they had arrived at the dorms, Harry chuckling as he realized he knew the reason for the results of the Gryffindor bulbs, and had disappeared, returning a half hour later with the vial.

Ron had inturrupted his sister's conversation with Hermione about what her morning sickness had been like so far to drag the two of them and Harry to an empty classroom. Lavender followed them, making it to the room only to have to knock on the door after Ron had closed and locked it. He had opened it a crack to see who it was, and yanked her inside a little more forcefully than neccessary and snapped it closed behind her before giving his instructions.

"Ginny, I want you to go get Malfoy." She had crossed her arms over her chest and snorted.

"Why?" she snapped. He told her about the conversation that he had with Harry and Hermione. She sighed and headed to the door. "Alright. I'll go get him, but only because he said that he would take it. Not because you want to settle this vendetta with him." She slammed the door behind her. Now Draco was seated at one of the desks, surrounded by the others.

"Ginny, Love, it's alright. I did say that I would take it." He gestured to the goblet of water that was in front of him. "Go ahead, Ron." They all started at this. Malfoy had never referred to Ron by his given name before. He had always been insulting. Hermione took the potion from Ron's shaking hand and put three drops into the water. Malfoy picked it up and drank the entire amount in one gulp.

"O.K. How about _I_ ask the questions?" Harry said. "You two would be a little biased," he pointed at Ron and Ginny, "And at any rate, none of you were there when it happened." They all nodded and Harry turned to a now glassy-eyed Malfoy. "What is your full name?" he asked.

"Draco Aristides Malfoy." Ron snorted with laughter.

"Aristides? Hey! That means that his initials spell DAM." Harry, Hermione and Lavender chuckled at this, but Ginny smacked her brother on the back of his head.

"Can we get on with it? I don't like seeing him like this." Harry cleared his throat.

"How old are you? When is your birthday?"

Malfoy's slack face didn't change expression as he anwered, "Seventeen. 5 June." Harry looked to Ginny. She confirmed it, so he continued.

"What happened last year? What did you do? Start from when you went into Borgin and Berks and end when Snape took you away after he...he killed Dumbledore. Are you working for the Ministry or Voldemort? But first answer, who is Snape working for and where is he?" Malfoy was quiet for only a second.

"Snape is a spy for the Ministry. He is in the Order of the Pheonix, under orders from Dumbledore to do whatever he had to to make it appear that he was still a Death Eater. I don't know where he is. He Apperated me to Malfoy Manor and told me and my mother to go into hiding." He paused to take a breath. "The summer before last term, I got away from my mum to go to Borgin and Berks per instructions from the Ministry. They wanted me to be a spy for them, using the Vanishing Cabinets as a gateway. I entered the store and showed Borgin the letter from the Minister himself, saying that if Borgin didn't want all the objects in his store confiscated, he would cooperate and not say a word to any of the Death Eaters that may come asking for information. Borgin was also to help me in any way that I needed. I spent a lot of time traveling between Howarts and Diagon Alley to talk to Ministry officials and to Death Eaters. The Death Eaters were given false information all throughout the school year, but they found out what I had been doing, and showed up the night that Dumbledore was killed. I was under an Imperious Curse and Dumbledore was trying to help me fight it. They got ahold of Snape and placed him under the Curse and told him to kill Dumbledore. He broke it as he was running away, angry at himself for what he had done. Harry Potter showed up and started to fight with Snape, and in his anger, Snape lashed out at Harry instead of running.

"He took me outside the Howarts grounds and Apperated the both of us to Malfoy Manor. Told us to go into hiding right away and Disapperated. Mother and I left within the hour to a town called Ottery-St. Catchpole and have been there ever since. We have made one of father's distant cousins, a Squib that father never talks to or mentions except during holidays and with absolute contempt, our secret keeper so that Voldemort can't find us. He will kill me if he finds out that I didn't go through with the orders he gave me in place of my father. He wanted to see how loyal I was to him." With that, Malfoy fell silent. His head dropped to his chest and his body went totally limp. Ron's blue eyes were horror struck as everyone turned to look at him.

"Just one more question, Draco. Do you love Ginny Weasley?" Harry asked. Malfoy's head rolled to one side.

"With every fiber in my being. I met her one day when I was walking along a lane, pouting about having to hide while the Ministry and the Order of the Pheonix got to fight Voldemort. I helped her out of a tangle of Devil's Snare that was growing just inside a thick patch of woods. She had been gathering toadstools for a potion that her mother was making and had gotten snagged by one of the tentacles. I heard her shriek and ran to help her. When I got her free," he smiled. "She kissed me. I lost my heart to her, then and there. We've been together ever since. She had to lie to Harry Potter about us, though. She thought it would break his heart if he knew that I had won over him. When she told me she was carrying my baby a few weeks later, I proposed on the spot, and she accepted, making me the happiest I have ever been in my life."

His head fell to his chest again and he was silent. Ginny looked at her brother smuggly.

"There's your answer, Ron. Are you satisfied, now?" She flipped her long red hair and stormed out of the classroom, leaving the rest of them to wait for Malfoy to come out of his stupor.


	36. Start Of Classes

Harry Potter And The Summer Of Surprise-Chapter 36

Start Of Classes

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter.

Harry gave a jaw cracking yawn and took the schedule that Professor McGonagall was holding out to him. He took a drink of his pumpkin juice as he looked it over and showered Ron and Ginny when he saw it.

"Professor, you're not teaching Transfiguration this term?" Hermione asked from next to him. They all looked up after a quick glance to verify this.

"No, Miss Granger. I can no longer teach Transfiguration as the Headmistress. Professor Sheldon will be taking my place." She quickly explained something about Hermione's schedule to her and Ron finished wiping Harry's pumpkin juice off his front as McGonagall walked away.

"Thanks, mate, but I already had a shower this morning." Harry closed his eyes and opened them a few times, still disbelieving what he had seen.

"Harry, what's wrong?" Ginny asked.

"Who do you have for Potions?" She looked down.

"Slughorn, why?" Hermione and Ron looked at their schedules.

"Snape? How can they let that murderous, traiterous,..." Ron sputtered. Hermione shushed him.

"You heard what Malfoy said last night. He was under the Imperious Curse. He had no choice but to..." She stopped talking as she noticed another new name on her schedule. "Ron, since when has your brother been a teacher?" He looked at her in surprise.

"What?" He read his own page. "Charlie! What's he doing here?" Harry shrugged.

"Looks like he's our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Wonder why he wasn't here last night." Hermione smirked and nudged her boyfriend in the side.

"You know why," she said softly. Ron noticed as Harry grinned back at her.

"What's going on? Do you two know something that Ginny and I don't?" Harry shrugged one shoulder as the three of them stood to get to their first class, Herbology. Ginny rose as well.

"Harry, can I speak to you for a second?" Harry nodded and waved the other two on.

"I'll catch you up." He followed Ginny out of the Great Hall and onto the grounds of the school. "Is your first class out here?" he asked.

"Yes. I'm still taking Care of Magical Creatures. I want to work in the new shop in Diagon Alley. It took the place of the Magical Menagerie before last term and I asked what I would need to get OWLS in. So now it's one of my NEWT classes." Harry smiled.

"So, what did you want to talk to me about?" Ginny paused.

"I just want to tell you how sorry I am that I left you hanging like I did. I mean, I know that you were upset about us breaking up last term, and I started going with Draco this summer. I don't want you to think that it had anything to do with you, I _do_ like you, Harry, but I love Draco." She lay a hand on his shoulder at his expression of confusion, that she took to be of sadness.

"You won't be alone forever, Harry. There are loads of girls that would be thrilled to go out with you." Harry stared at her as she moved on to her class. He hurried to catch up to her.

"But I don't want loads of girls. I'm..." Ginny cut him off before he could finish.

"Harry, I'm engaged to Draco. You have to let me go and forget about us." He stopped and turned her to face him.

"You don't know, do you?" One look at her face told him that she didn't. "Ginny, I'm with Hermione. We started dating during the summer." Her expression changed to one of pure fury and Harry stepped back, ready to defend himself if she let out one of her famous hexes.

"How dare you do this to me?" she sputtered. "You break up with me, and then you go straight to Granger!" Harry held up his hands in defense.

"It wasn't like that, Ginny." She snorted and stomped away from him. He ran after her and grabbed her arm. She wrenched it away, nearly smacking him in the face with her hair as she spun to face him.

"Don't touch me! You were only playing with me! You didn't love me." Harry sighed heavily.

"How can you be mad at me when you were the one who moved on first?" She goggled at him. "I was staying with Hermione and her aunt after my family locked me out of the house for a week. We recieved owls from you saying that you were back with Dean Thomas, which we later found out was not true. I didn't even _try_ to get with Hermione until you told us that. And now, you're pregnant with Malfoy's baby. You can hardly get upset, when you were the one who seemed to get over me." Ginny blushed.

"You're right. I'm sorry, Harry." She looked towards the greenhouses where the seventh years were gathered, waiting to be let in. She spied Hermione's bushy brown hair. "Do you love her?" she asked, looking now back at him. He nodded. "Have you slept with her?" Harry flushed slightly.

"So, that's a _yes_." Harry remembered something.

"Why did you tell her that I had slept with you?" Ginny dropped her eyes to the ground.

"Because I knew that she had feelings for you, and at the time, I thought that we were going to stay together. I didn't want her to try to get between us." She raised her head. "I'm sorry, Harry. Really I am. Would you tell her for me?" Harry shook his head.

"No. I think you have to tell her yourself. We straightened this all out on my birthday, but I think she's a little hurt that you lied to her. I have to go, or I'll be late. Talk to you later?" She nodded and Harry trotted off to join his classmates. He reached them just as Professor Sprout was opening the door.

Ron and Hermione gave him curious glances as they entered. "I'll tell you later," he whispered.

Hermione seemed to be a little put out but as the class was getting ready to begin, she told Harry and Ron that her Arithmancy class ran at the same time as her Ancient Runes, so she would be taking an evening class to get her NEWT for Arithmancy and would have her second period free. Professor Sprout called for their attention. For the first time that Harry could remember, the Herbology teacher had them write notes. They were mostly about what they could expect to learn this final year and what would be on their NEWT exam in June, then she had them prune what appeared to be something like an aloe plant with violet colored flowers, but it would pull its fleshy leaves in to prevent them being cut. When one of the leaves 'was' successfully cut, as Ron found out, the plant started shrieking. They left the class an hour later with their homework assignment, an essay about the plants, called Shrieking Hyacinths, Hermione immediately heading off towards the library for their free period. Harry, wanting to get good marks this year, went with her, Ron poking fun at him the entire way back up to the castle.

"She's a bad influence on you, mate. She's going to have you writing out forty pages of notes next." Harry and Hermione laughed.

"What did Ginny want, Harry?" Hermione asked.

"Let me ask a question, first. How is it that the two of you never told her who I'm dating?" They looked back at him, perplexed. He pulled the oak door open and they entered the castle. "She said that I wouldn't be alone forever, that there were 'loads' of girls that would want to go out with me, and I'm sure that she was about ready to hex me when I told her that I was already going with you, Hermione." Her chocolate eyes widened and she turned to Ron.

"I didn't say anything because I thought _Ron_ had," she said.

"Same for me. I thought Hermione had told her in the note Ginny recieved soon after your birthday." Harry shook his head.

"Well, there's my answer. She wasn't told because everyone thought someone else would do it, and it finally fell to me to let her know." Ron shifted his bag on his shoulder as they reached the top of the marble staircase.

"Well, at least she heard it firsthand, not from someone that might catch you two snogging in the halls between classes." They continued on their way to the library, Ron leaving to go to the common room with Lavender, whom they met coming from Divination, instead. Harry and Hermione settled themselves at a table in a secluded corner and spread their books and notes out. Hermione was surprised to see that by the time she had finished getting ready to do her essay, Harry had already brought four large books to the table, and was on his third sentence. She smiled at his newfound interest in his studies and started into her homework. They were almost half finished when the bell rang, and Hermione kissed Harry good-bye and told him that she would see him in Potions, before heading off to her Ancient Runes class while he continued on his essay, due to the fact that he had another free period.

Half an hour later, he rolled up his finished report and started off to his room to get his books for his next class. He wondered how he was going to face Snape for another year, knowing what he did. Even though Snape had been under the Imperious Curse, Harry didn't want to look him in the eye. He didn't know if he would be able to control his rage. He met up with Ron outside the portrait entrance.

"I know you aren't in here anymore, so why are you coming to the common room?" Harry beckoned him to follow and led his friend a little farther along the corridor to a painting of a witch and wizard facing off, their wands drawn.

"They have been fighting about having to share a frame this year." Harry explained. "It's not very often that the Head Boy and Girl are from the same house, I reckon." He silently apologized to Ron as he nonverbally cast 'muffliato' on him so as to give the password to the occupants of the painting. They stopped their bickering only long enough to swing the large frame forward, revealing a mahogany door. Harry opened it and let the two of them into a small common room, decorated much like the Gryffindor house. Ron tapped him on the shoulder as he was heading to his room. Harry turned and chuckled as he remembered now to remove the charm.

"You have no _idea _how wierd this is!" Ron said as he rubbed his ears. "I heard the sounds of the other students, the teachers, even Hagrid yelling at a third year for not keeping hold of one of the bowtruckles they're working with today, but I didn't hear a thing before the picture opened. Do you and Hermione not have a password?" Harry smiled ruefully.

"No, mate. There's a password, but Hermione and I were put under strict instructions when we chose it, not to let anyone hear it. Not even McGonagall or you. Sorry," he shrugged helplessly as he told Ron what he had done.

_**Not that I **_**want **_**you to know that Hermione picked **_**sixty-nine**_** as the password**_ he thought to himself.

"That's all right, Harry. I understand. But you can let me in with you, can't you?" Harry gave him a mock scathing look and headed off to his bedroom.

"You're in here, aren't you?" He grabbed his Potions book from his bookshelf and placed his Herbology essay there in its place. "Come on," he said as he reentered the common area, seeing Ron looking over his and Hermione's desks. "Let's get going. I want to get this class over with as soon as possible." Together, they headed down to the dungeons, where they met up with Hermione and entered Snape's class.


	37. Quidditch And Secret Relationship

Harry Potter And The Summer Of Surprise-Chapter 37

Quidditch Match And A Secret Relationship

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter

The weeks passed from September into October, and now it was the start of the Quidditch season. Hermione had surprised Harry on her birthday by telling him that she wanted to try out for the Gryffindor team.

She had gone for chaser, which was good as Ginny was no longer able to be on the team, due to her pregnancy, and Hermione made it, joined by Demelza Robins, from the year before, and after an incredible tryout that shocked everyone, Lavender Brown. Jimmy Peakes returned as beater, but Harry had to find another as Ritchie Coote's parents had withdrawn him from Hogwarts. Katie Concus showed a spectacular aim, nearly everyone had to duck when she hit the bludger toward them, and all her hits were with a ferocity that sent the black ball clear to the other side of the pitch. Ron also returned to the team as keeper, and Harry of course as seeker.

Both of them were amazed at how much Hermione's game had improved. Her only answer when they asked about it was, "I practiced while Harry was at work."

She left it go at that, and returned to their ever-growing pile of homework. She and Harry alone seemed to be the only seventh years that were able to keep up with their busy schedules- Quidditch practice, homework, Head Boy and Girl duties, and still have time to be alone with each other (It didn't hurt that they were the only occupants of their little dorm rooms, either.)

.

During their last Potions class before the first match, Gryffindor against Slytherin, Harry was on his best behavior, not wanting Snape to have any reason to give him detention, but he needn't have worried. Snape's attitude towards him had changed from the first day of class. While he was still distant and cool, he was no longer inclined to take points away from Gryffindor merely for Harry breathing too much. In fact, he had even taken to giving them to Hermione for getting answers to questions right instead of calling her an insufferable know-it-all as he had a few years previously. Harry shook his head as he looked around the locker room. The rest of his team was nearly ready. He saw that Hermione looked more nervous than Ron had before his first game. He put his arm around her waist.

"You'll be fine, Love," he whispered in her ear. She smiled over her shoulder at him and sighed.

"I hope so. After all the practicing that I did when you were at work over the summer...Harry, I just don't want you to be disappointed in me." Harry turned her around to face him.

"I'll _never_ be disappointed in you, 'Mione. I just want you to go out there and do your best." He raised his voice so the whole team could hear him. "I want everyone to do their best. That's the only thing that I'll ever ask of the team. We've done really well in practices, and now's our chance to see how we'll do against Slytherin." They heard the sounds of the crowd filling the stands and picked up their brooms. Harry motioned for everyone to gather around him.

"I won't be here next season, I may not even be here to the end of _this _one." Hermione, Lavender and Ron glanced at each other, knowing what Harry meant. "I don't want anyone to think that all I care about is winning the Quidditch Cup, even though I do want to see it in McGonagall's office if I'm able to come back to visit. So let's get out there and kick Slytherin off the pitch!"

The others cheered and followed their captain out onto the field. Harry heard the familiar voice of Katie's friend, Rachel Turstine calling out the Gryffindor team's names and shook the hand of the new Slytherin captain, who happened to be Draco Malfoy.

"Good luck, Harry," Draco said.

"Same to you." They mounted their brooms and at Madam Hooch's whistle, the game began. Harry and Draco circled the pitch, watching their teammates and looking for the snitch as Rachel ran a play-by-play on what was going on.

"Gryffindor captain, Harry Potter, has assembled a fine team for his final year. Ron Weasley in his third year as Keeper, makes a difficult save from new Slytherin chaser, Pansy Parkinson. Ohhh, she's not happy, is she?" The Slytherin side booed loudly as Gryffindor cheered. "New Gryffindor chaser, Hermione Granger, incidentally, Potter's girlfriend, I wonder if that's why she's on the team, sorry, Professor McGonagall, just making an observation. Well, anyway, she's got the Quaffle and is streaking up the pitch." Harry had turned to glare down at the commentator's box, but looked up just in time to see Hermione score the first goal of the game.

"Miss Turstine," he said angrily as he flew past Rachel's post, paused and pointed to Hermione, who had just gained possesion of the Quaffle again and scored two more goals with it when the Slytherin keeper snagged it on the other side of the goals and threw it back at her with the intention to knock her off her broom, and she kicked it away through the left hoop.

"_That_ is the reason that Hermione's on the team. The fact that she's my girlfriend has very little to do with it." And with that, he flew off again in search of the snitch. He thought he spotted it across the pitch by a Hufflepuff stand twenty minutes later, but it turned out to be a reflection of light off a girl's mirror as she checked her make-up. He flew around the pitch a few times, cheering when his team scored and groaning when their shots were blocked.

Ron was playing his best game yet, he didn't seem to be suffering from his normal case of nerves and was effortlessly blocking almost all Slytherin's shots. Rachel made a few comments about how each team was playing and called out the score every so often, but Harry noticed that now she stayed away from remarking on his choice of teammates. His beaters were doing excellent jobs of keeping the Bludgers away from the Gryffindor chasers, and the chasers themselves were unsurpassed at scoring with nearly every shot. Of course, Harry believed that Malfoy had made a huge mistake at letting Crabbe and Goyle remain on the team as beaters, as they were constantly trying to knock the opposite team in the head with their bats, but he knew that their aim was really lousy in the first place, and didn't worry too much about them. The other two chasers weren't so hot either. Draco had chosen two second years that seemed to be totally lost when they had possesion of the Quaffle. One of them even dropped it as soon as she had gotten hold of it. Finally, after about another half hour of searching, Harry saw the snitch hovering around the Gryffindor goal posts.

A quick glance at Malfoy told him that he was the only one who had seen it. Draco was chewing out the chaser that had dropped the Quaffle for the third time. Harry took off for the other side of the pitch like a streak. He wanted to win this game. He had told his team that he wanted them to do their best and he knew that's what they expected out of him. A collective gasp rang out from the crowd.

"From the way he's flying, I reckon Potter has spotted the snitch, and there goes Malfoy, right behind him!" called Rachel. Harry heard her, but knew that Draco's Nimbus 2001 was no match for his Firebolt. Still, his fingers closed on the struggling winged ball just as Malfoy's hand shot out to knock Harry's away. Madam Hooch blew her whistle signaling the end of the game. Rachel called out the final score- 310- 60. Harry landed his broom with a huge grin on his face and kissed Hermione when she landed next to him. Ron didn't do the same with Lavender, much to the girl's dismay. She had noticed that for some time, ever since Harry's birthday party actually, her boyfriend seemed distant and thoughtful when the two of them were together. But he did take her hand and they followed Harry and Hermione back to the locker room to change, then up to Gryffindor Tower for a party that lasted well into the night.

Everyone was having so much fun that only Lavender noticed when after only a few hours, Ginny, then Harry and Hermione left, but for some reason, this now made the party 'four' people short. Ron had gone to get her a butterbeer a while ago. Where was he?

Ron looked around the corner to make sure that Filch and Mrs. Norris weren't close by. He sighed with relief. The hallway was empty. Starting on his way once more, he felt only the slightest pang of guilt about what he was doing. He didn't want to be dishonest with Lavender, but he knew in his heart that this was what he needed to do. He reached his destination and entered the cupboard, closing the door behind himself.

"Ron, is that you?" came the voice he had so longed to hear.

"Who else? Come here, you." Two slender arms wrapped around his waist and he lowered his head to meet their owner's lips. "I missed you," he whispered huskily when the kiss ended.

"How much longer do we have to keep hiding? I want to be able to hold your hand in the halls, not just when we get the chance to meet like this." Her voice misted over, and she sniffled. Ron pulled out his wand.

"Lumos." He was now able to see long waist length hair, a school uniform skirt, socks and shoes as she had turned away from him. "Not much longer, I swear. I just have to tell her that I don't feel the same way about her as she does me. To tell the truth, I don't know why we even got back together in the first place." She looked over her shoulder, her eyes filled with tears.

"Sometimes, I just can't help but think that you are just teasing me, Ron. Like everyone always has. I want to be with you, but you still haven't ended it with Lavender, and now you tell me that you have to tell her how you really feel. Are you serious about me, or not?" Ron's eyes widened.

"How can you ask me that? I've told you that I love you. I've never even been able to tell Lavender that. Do you want to know when I realized that I liked you?" She nodded. "During the summer. I saw you that day, and...you took my breath away. Almost literally when you landed on top of me." She giggled at the memory. "I spent the rest of the time comparing you to Lavender, and you won by far. She just wants to talk about girl stuff, you want to talk about how things are going with me and my family, you want to know if we are safe or in danger. She never wants to get her hands dirty or messy, you'll dig right through a whole pot of flobberworm slime to the bottom without a care of what it might do to your nails." He turned her to face him. "But the best part is, she certainly doesn't kiss like you." He leaned in to prove his point. The door slammed open at that moment and the two of them flew apart.

"I knew it!" Lavender shrieked. "I knew you had to be cheating on me. Why else would you be so quiet and withdrawn around me? But to insult me by being with her? That is the final straw!" She reached out and slapped Ron hard across the face, then spun on her heel and stomped off back to the Gryffindor common room.

As she rounded the corner, she yelled out, "We're through!" Ron gingerly felt his stinging cheek.

"Well, Luna, I don't think we have to hide our relationship now."


	38. Ask Me Again, Do Something For Me

Harry Potter And The Summer Of Surprise- Chapter 38

Ask Me Again, Then Do Something For Me

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter.

Harry frowned as Ron sat down across from him at breakfast the next morning.

"What happened to you?" he asked. Ron glanced at him.

"What do you mean?" Harry pointed near his left ear.

"You've got a bruise on your cheek. I know that didn't happen in the match yesterday, so what gives?" He noticed that Ron was glancing at the door to the Great Hall and followed his gaze. Lavender had just entered and sat down with Parvati and a few fifth years.

"Is it something to do with Lavender, Ron?" Hermione asked beside Harry.

"They broke up last night," Ginny said, taking the seat next to her brother. "Lavender was making such a racket about finding Ron and Luna Lovegood in a cupboard together. They were kissing." Harry and Hermione goggled at their redhaired friend.

"You were _what_?" Harry sputtered. "But I thought that you loved Lavender." Ron looked as if he wanted to kill his sister.

"I thought I did, too. But then Luna showed up at your birthday party and I just couldn't keep my eyes off her. I thought she was the most beautiful thing that I had ever seen." Ginny smiled.

"That explains why you were hardly around this summer." She turned to the other two. "Luna lives just on the other side of the woods bordering the Burrow's property line." She placed a hand on the small swell of her stomach and looked across the room to her fiancé. "I found that out one day when Draco and I were walking through the woods together."

Hermione smiled as she said to Ron, "Does this mean that you and Luna are together, now?" Ron blushed as the other half of the subject of conversation entered the Hall, saw him looking at her and waved with a smile on her face. He noticed Lavender and her friends were glaring at the Ravenclaw girl.

"Yes, Hermione, Luna and I are dating," he said loudly enough for everyone else in the room to hear. Harry noticed that Lavender's face became furious, but when he looked over his shoulder to Luna, she was glowing with happiness.

"Now what am I going to do about this?" he asked, recieving confused looks from the other three. "Lavender's on the team. Or maybe she 'was', I don't really know, but given that she and Ron are busted up, I doubt that she'd want to stay on as chaser." Parvati appeared at Harry's elbow with a note.

"This is from Lavender, Harry." He thanked her with a sigh and opened it as she walked back to her seat.

"She says she'll stay on the team until I can find a replacement, but after how Ron treated her last night, she doesn't even want to be in Hogwarts anymore. I've been given one week to find another chaser, because she's contacted her parents and told them that if they still want her to go to Beauxbatons, she's all for it now." He handed the note to Hermione and covered his face with his hands. "Why can't I have a quiet year at this school?" he moaned into his palms. Ginny chuckled.

"Because you're Harry Potter, that's why." She stood up and gathered her cloak. "Now if you'll excuse me, I think I'll go for a walk with my fiancé." She left the others sitting there staring after her. Hermione finished her orange juice and stood as well.

"I have to finish my Transfiguration essay for tomorrow. I'll bet Ron hasn't even started it." Harry got up and gathered his things as Ron gave Hermione a dirty look.

"That's not true. In fact, I've almost finished it. I'm just trying to figure out a way to end it, is all." He rose and walked away to meet Luna at the Hall doors.

"Did I say something wrong?" asked Hermione.

"No," Harry laughed. "It's just that you're right. He hasn't started it. He asked me on the way to the match yesterday if he could see my essay to get some idea of how to get going on it." He held out his hand, and without noticing the envious looks from many of the other girls, Hermione took it.

"I lied, you know." Harry smiled at her as they headed up the marble staircase.

"I know. You finished that essay two days after McGonagall assigned it." She wrapped her arm around his.

"I just wanted to be alone with you before we have to start our rounds." She smiled at his mock surprise.

"You mean I get to walk around the corridors with you before I have to go down to the dungeons and put some Slytherins in detention?" he quipped. "I think I may die from happiness." She swatted him on the arm.

"Harry, you know good and well that you can't give detentions for no reason. And the prefects are first and foremost responsible for their own houses. They'll take care of the Slytherins." She tugged him towards their dormatory. "We just have to be walking around when they report to us, but first, I need to talk to you." Harry followed her into the common room and sat on the couch.

"O.K. So talk," he joked. She gave him a slight look.

"Harry, I'm serious. I've been thinking about something for a while. Ever since we boarded the train, in fact. Your discussion with your aunt and uncle on the way made me wonder if we are going to be able to be together after it's all over." She started pacing in front of Harry.

"Hermione," he began hesitantly, "Are you breaking up with me?" She stopped and spun to face him.

"No! Of course not, Love." He sighed with relief. "But I've been thinking, what if Voldemort succeeds in killing you? I would be left here without you and I don't think that I could bear that there would be no one left from your father's side to tell your story. It would be left to me, your aunt and uncle." Harry nodded slowly, not really understanding where this was going. She knelt down in front of him.

"Harry, do you love me?" she asked.

"Hermione, I tell and show you every chance I get that I do." She rose and left the room, returning a minute later, her hand clenched against her chest. She extended it to him and dropped the item into his palm when he reached up. He looked at it, then back to her. She smiled and his heart stopped for a second. "Does this mean..." Hermione nodded.

"I want you to ask me again." Harry stood and knelt in front of her. "Harry, you're being overly dramatic." He grinned up at her.

"I just want to do this right, the way it's been done for who knows how long now." He held up the ring.

"Then say it the way you did the first time please," she requested. He cleared his throat.

"Hermione Jean Granger, will you marry me?" To his absolute delight, she nodded and held out her hand for him to slide the ring onto her finger. He pulled her down to him and hugged her tightly. "You have no idea how happy you have made me," he said as he kissed all over her face.

"Well, there's one other thing that I want you to do for me." She leaned closer to him and whispered into his ear. Harry stiffened in shock.

"You want me to _what_!"


	39. Decorating For Christmas

Harry Potter And The Summer Of Surprise-Chapter 39

Decorating For Christmas

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter.

"Harry, where should I put this?" Harry looked up from where he'd been sorting through baubles and bells for the tree to see Hermione holding a red and gold garland. "I've been turning around in circles trying to think of a place for it, but I'm lost." He looked around the festively decorated common room for a minute.

"How about around the picture by the fireplace?" he suggested. Hermione turned and studied the picture. Its occupant seemed a little more cheerful at the prospect of having the garland around its frame. She giggled and moved over to the picture, draping the decoration over the top of the frame.

"There you go. Merry Christmas." The witch in the picture smiled at her. Harry came up behind her to wrap his arms around her waist. Hermione's hands fell to his. She looked over her shoulder at him. "Have you thought about it?" He looked confused. "What I asked you a few weeks ago?" He pulled away from her.

"Yes, I've thought about it. But, 'Mione, do you know what you're asking of me? The consequenses of it may end up tearing us apart." He turned to go back to the tree he was decorating, but Hermione stopped him.

"Harry, I don't think that it _**will**_ tear us apart, only make us stronger." He dropped his eyes to the floor.

"I just don't want it to end up with you thinking it was a mistake." Hermione placed a hand under his chin, raising his head to look him in the eye.

"I won't think it was a mistake, Harry. I want this very much." Harry sighed.

"I have to think about it some more." He held up his hands in defense. "That's all I can do right now, 'Mione. I just need a little more time. Please." Hermione smiled and rose onto her toes to kiss him.

"It's alright, Love. I don't want to pressure you into anything. You think about it all you need to. I'm patient, and can wait until you've made a decision about it." She hugged him and returned to her own decorations, leaving him even more confused than ever by the tree.

Two hours later, they stood in the middle of their common room and looked around.

"Do you think we over did it?" Harry chuckled.

"Just a bit, but it's our last year here, and as we are the only ones that are seeing this unless we let someone else into the room, who's going to care?" She swatted him on the arm.

"Now let's go and see if they need any more help decorating the rest of the castle."

He followed her out of their dormatory and down to the Great Hall where they found that Hagrid was setting up the last of the traditional twelve trees. It had been decided that the houses were going to decorate the trees this year, three to a house, and there were groups standing all around the perimeter of the Great Hall, putting up baubles, bells and other ornaments. They waved to Luna, who was helping decorate one of the Ravenclaw trees and made their way to help Ron and Ginny, who were having a small disagreement about the Gryffindor tree that they were working on.

"I think that it should be in Gryffindor colors. Look at the way the other houses are doing theirs," Ron was saying as Harry and Hermione approached. Ginny put her hands on her hips.

"The _biggest_ one can be in our house colors. I want this one to be in blue." As she gestured to the tree, Harry noticed that her jumper stretched across the swell of her rounded stomach. He looked to Hermione, and she nodded in silent agreement that they had to intervene before something happened to Ginny's baby. Harry stepped between the brother and sister.

"Ron, I think that the biggest one should be in Gryffindor colors as well. Why do you want this one to be?" he asked as Hermione attempted to calm Ginny. Ron crossed his arms.

"Because it's the one closest to the door, that's why. I want everyone to see this tree right when they enter the Hall," he replied.

"Why do you have to be so stubborn?" Ginny stamped her foot. "Everyone else is using their biggest tree to represent their house, why can't we?" Ron sat down on one of the benches lining the long table behind them.

"That's another thing. Why do you want it to be blue? That's a Ravenclaw color." Hermione chuckled.

"You have a problem with your girlfriend's house colors, Ron?" He blushed and hurriedly looked over to where Luna was hanging a purple garland on the upper branches of the tree she was working on.

"No, of course not. But do you see any other house using 'our' colors for their decorations?" Harry nodded.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I do. Hufflepuff is putting up a lot of scarlet on their tree right now." Ginny grunted and placed a hand on her stomach, causing Ron to jump up. He and Harry rushed to her side.

"Are you O.K.?" Hermione asked as she joined them a second later. Ginny looked around at them and smiled widely.

"I just felt the baby kick!" She grabbed Ron's hand and placed it on her stomach. He jerked it away in the next instant, a look of shock on his face.

"I felt that!" he said in amazement. Harry noticed Malfoy watching them with great interest as he was the only seventh year Slytherin- surrounded by first years- and beckoned him over. He hurried to the four Gryffindors with an anxious expression.

"What's wrong?" Hermione held up her hands in front of her.

"Nothing's wrong, Draco. Ginny just felt the baby move." Draco's face split into an enormous grin.

"That's fantastic!" he crowed as he swung his fiancée around in a circle.

"Malfoy!" came a call from Professor Sheldon. "Put that girl down. She's in no condition for you to be manhandling her like that." They turned and looked at the woman as she approached. "She's pregnant as you can surely see," she said as she reached them.

"Professor, it's Draco's baby." Ginny explained. "He's happy because I just felt it kick for the first time." The others nodded.

Professor Sheldon smiled shortly and said, "Well, that is wonderful news for the both of you, but I don't want to see you slinging her around like a garden gnome again, understand?" Draco nodded and the teacher walked away. Harry and Ron laughed and Hermione stuck her tongue out as the woman left the Hall.

"Who is she to tell anyone how to handle a pregnant woman?" she said.

"Well, if you'll remember," Harry interjected, "She was the mediwitch that was with my mum when I was born." Hermione faced him with astonishment.

"Harry, I-I'm sorry. I forgot. I really am..." Harry waved off her apology.

"It's alright. I didn't even remember myself until she said something about it after our third class." He turned back to the tree. "Now, how _are_ we to decorate this?" These words brought up Ron and Ginny's argument again. Harry smiled at the two of them as Draco returned to his own house trees after kissing Ginny's cheek. He glanced at Hermione, who had begun conjuring strings of red and gold beads for when their group decided which to decorate as the Gryffindor color tree.

_**Is it really so much to give her what she wants this time?**_ he thought. _**And she wants it so much.**_ His other voice broke in.

_**But is she sure that she **_**really**_** wants it? Is she ready for it? Are **_**you **_**ready for it?**_ He looked back to the trees, Ron had given in and they had begun to decorate the largest of the three with scarlet bulbs and gold fairies that Ginny had brought in wrapped in her cloak.

"I had to keep the fairies warm, didn't I? They wouldn't have wanted to light up if they were cold," was her retort to her brother's laughter when she had released the small creatures that were now happily residing in the bows of the tree. Harry sat down on the bench and watched the others, his mind still waging a silent argument with him.

_**But think of it, if I tell her **_**yes**_**, I'll be...**_ He jumped as Hermione touched his shoulder.

"Harry, are you alright?" He nodded and stood.

"I'm fine. I was just thinking." The look on his face told her exactly what it was he had been thinking about. She smiled and took his hand.

"You can do that later," she whispered, then raised her voice. "Right now, Ron needs help with these beads. Ginny and I aren't tall enough to reach, and since you still don't seem to be done growing, I swear, you'll be taller than Ron soon, you're the designated party." He allowed himself to be led over to the tree and proceeded to help with the decorating.

_**Hermione's right. I can think about it later.**_

His other voice spoke up as he was conjuring another string of beads to reach to the top, _**Yeah, you'd **_**better**_** think about it. Long and hard, Potter. **_ Harry chuckled inwardly.

_**I intend to give her an answer while we're back at Laura's. **_ If his inner voice had a face, its jaw would have dropped.

_**At Laura's? But, you're leaving in two days!**_


	40. Portkey And An Apology

Harry Potter And The Summer Of Surprise-Chapter 40

Portkey And An Apology

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter.

"Harry?" He looked up from his trunk where he was in the middle of packing for the three week stay at Laura's. He and Hermione were leaving a week early due to the fact that her parents were going to be spending the holiday in Rome, but they wanted to see their daughter before they left. Professor McGonagall had given her permission immediately after recieving the owl at the start of December. "Did you get all your Christmas shopping done? We won't have much time for it the first couple of days, and Aunt Laura wants to open some of the presents before Mum and Dad leave." Harry nodded and gestured to a stack of parcels on the nightstand.

"I'm just making room for them, now." She walked over to stand next to him at the bedside.

"Have you thought anymore of what I asked you?" she asked timidly. Harry glanced up at her briefly as he began putting the packages into his almost full trunk.

"'Mione, do we have to talk about this now? I'm more worried about how we are going to get through the next three weeks sharing a house with your family. I don't think that I'll make it not being able to touch you for that long." Hermione smiled.

"Didn't I tell you? Mum and Dad are taking the pink room because Aunt Diana and Natanya will be in the purple room. That means I'm in the green bedroom." Harry snorted.

"And I'll be on the sofa," he said.

"Um, no, actually, my uncle John will be on the sofa." She moved closer to him. "You'll be in the same bed with me. My parents know about our relationship and after the talks that we had last summer, they support it." Harry lowered his head to hers, meeting her lips with his own.

"You mean your mum does, anyway." He turned away and resumed his packing. "I think your dad still wants to change my sex, or at the very least, turn me into a flobberworm." Hermione laughed.

"He's just a little over protective of me, Harry. But he knows that I'm eighteen now and he can't stop me from seeing who I want or from doing what I want." She further emphasized her point by wrapping one arm around Harry's hips and cupping his crotch. He looked over his shoulder, an amused expression on his face.

"You do know that we're leaving in less than an hour?" She nodded, a sly knowing look on her face.

"Are you telling me that it would take you longer than that to finish, Harry?" she quipped. Harry stopped the movements that her hand was making and gently pushed it away.

"I wish. But we can't, Hermione. We don't have enough time for a shower after. I don't want to get to your aunt's house looking as if we had just been..." Hermione silenced him as she turned him round and sank to her knees. "What are you doing?" he asked, knowing full well. She undid his belt and pants, then reached through the opening in the front of his boxers to pull him out.

"I think you can guess." She leaned forward to give the head a long lick, drawing a moan of pleasure from Harry.

"Love, we don't have time for this. We have to finish packing, get our trunks down to the entry hall, and... Oh my God!" Hermione watched as Harry's head snapped backwards for a second when she swallowed his entire length. She felt his member begin to swell and harden in her mouth, but made no move to release it. Instead she swirled her tongue back and forth around the shaft, relishing every shudder that she drew out of him. She especially enjoyed the throbbing pulse she encountered every time she went over the top. Harry stared down at her as she began to suck him for all she was worth, groaned when she started to pick up speed and buried his hands in her wild hair. He felt her graze him with her teeth, but by now she knew what she was doing, and it only served to arouse him even further. After a few more minutes of this, Harry pulled her up and locked his lips over hers. Hermione threw her arms around his neck to keep from falling backwards. He moved them to the edge of the bed and pulled her down with him.

"What about looking as if we had just been...?" she said, jokingly repeating his earlier concern.

"The hell with it," he replied as he rolled her over.

He nipped her throat, trailing kisses down to the edge of her button front jumper. Hermione helped him undo the fastenings and removed her knickers from under her skirt as Harry lapped at her lace covered nipples. The urgency of their time constraints and the desire building inside her made her drag his body on top of hers and reach between them to grasp his erection. Harry understood, sliding into her with no further hesitation.

She met his thrusts with her own, the only sounds in the room their gasps of pleasure and the soft noise of their hips meeting almost twice every second. Hermione felt orgasm after orgasm flow over her turning her into a quivering puddle of nerve endings. She thought that she couldn't take much more of this when Harry stiffened above and inside her with an orgasm of his own. She watched his face contort in the expression that she loved so dearly, then drew him closer as he collapsed onto to her fully. His breathing slowed after a minute and he raised his head, turning to look at the clock that hung on the wall near the door.

"It's almost time to go." He pulled out of her and lay on his back for a second, then carefully concealed himself and did up his jeans before standing. A tapping at the window caught their attention as Hermione finished buttoning her jumper. "Hedwig. I'm glad she's back. I was afraid we'd have to leave without her." Harry raised the sash and held out his arm for the snowy owl. She hopped onto it and he brought her into the room. Hermione pulled on her knickers and straightened her skirt over her legs.

"She has a note," she said as Harry was about to put Hedwig into her cage. He looked down to see the owl holding out her leg.

"Sorry, Hedwig. I'm just in a hurry to finish packing. I was distracted for a few minutes." He glanced at Hermione as he removed the note from the owl. He opened it as soon as she was safely inside her cage. It was from Professor McGonagall wanting them to come down as soon as they were finished. Harry blushed as the note didn't say what they would be finished with. He noticed that something was missing. "Hey, where'd my trunk go?" Hermione giggled as she thought of a probable answer.

"Maybe Dobby came to get it."

Harry groaned and burried his face in his hands.

"It's one thing to let Ron watch us on the train, but a hero worshiping house-elf? I'll never be able to look him in the eye again, if that's what happened." He took a deep breath and lowered his hands. "I keep forgetting that house-elves don't actually have to follow all the rules that most other magical creatures do." Hermione shot him a surprised look.

"Really?" she asked. "Like what?" Harry picked up Hedwig's cage and led the way out into the common room area, where they collected Crookshanks and put him into his basket.

"Well, for one thing, they can Apparate without a license, and inside areas that Apparating would be blocked to a witch or wizard. You didn't already know that?" Hermione shook her head as they exited the dorm.

"No. I didn't. Is there anything else?" Harry shrugged and stopped short.

"You aren't going to use this in S.P.E.W. are you?" She shook her head.

"No. But now that I think of it, maybe that would be something to bring to the Ministry's attention. House-elves aren't bound to all the magical laws that witches and wizards are, why do they have to spend their lives as slaves to us?" Harry let her prattle on, nodding his head every so often to make her happy. They descended the marble staircase a few minutes later, and he felt himself go red again at the sight of Professor McGonagall and Dobby waiting by the oak front doors.

"Are you ready to go now?" she asked, showing no sign that she knew what had gone on in the Head Student's dormatory a few minutes earlier. Harry and Hermione both nodded and stepped forward.

"How are we getting there?" Hermione asked. "Are we using a portkey?" The Headmistress nodded and held out a gold plate.

"It's set to activate in three minutes, so you'd better gather your things quickly." They thanked Dobby for bringing their trunks down and grabbed the handles.

"This is going to be awkward," Harry remarked, holding up Hedwig's cage.

"Set the basket and cage between your feet, but make sure that they are touching the plate as well," said Professor McGonagall. She sat the plate on the floor and stepped back to allow room for them to follow her instructions. They found the eaisiest way to accomplish this was to sit on their trunks, holding on to one handle, lean forward to place a finger on the plate, and hold their respective pet's carrier against it as well. McGonagall counted down.

"Five, four, three, two, one."

Harry, Hermione, and their belongings were gone.

Laura was waiting for them in the doorway when they arrived in her living room a second later. The plate spun on its edge for a minute then fell flat on the floor. Harry noticed that the room was changed for the holiday season. The piano had to be moved across the room behind the couch to allow for the enormous spruce that had taken up residence in front of the large bay window. Only the couch was here, the loveseat had been removed, and it, along with three overstuffed chairs were facing the tree, surrounding the coffee table. Hedwig let out an indignant screech from her cage, portkeys didn't agree with her in the least. Hermione had run to hug her aunt the moment they arrived and they were now chattering on their way to the kitchen.

"You're the first ones here." Harry heard Laura say as the door swung shut behind them. He looked around at the trunks and animals around him.

_**I guess that leaves me to get these upstairs.**_ He pulled his wand from the holster under his sleeve and waved it at the assorted items, giving the nonverbal spell, _**Locomotor trunks, cage and basket.**_ He chuckled to himself as Crookshanks hissed at the sudden jolt when his basket rose off the floor.

"You're all right, Crookshanks. I'll let you out when we get upstairs." He followed their belongings out the door and up to the green bedroom, where he saw it had also been changed. Instead of a plain green cover on the bed, there was now a thick blanket in forest with a deep cranberry trim, and a small tree had been set up in front of the window overlooking the backyard. Looking around, Harry noticed there was also a sprig of mistletoe hanging above his head. He smiled.

_**Hermione will want to make use of that.**_ He set their things down, let the animals out of their carriers and gave them both some water, then headed down to join Laura and Hermione in the kitchen. He stopped short when he heard what they were talking about.

"...The last one. Someone else has to be able to tell his story," Hermione was saying.

"But are you sure that you're ready for the responsibility, Hermione?" Laura asked. There was a second of silence. "Are you 'absolutely' sure?" Harry gathered Hermione must have nodded during the pause in the discussion.

"Yes. I know it sounds selfish, but if Voldemort kills Harry, I don't want to be the only person to tell his story. His aunt and uncle may care what happens to him now, but they don't go through this on a daily basis. I want there to be someone that I can tell it to and..." Her voice dropped so low that Harry had to strain to hear her, and even then missed quite a bit. "I want...Harry's...to be able...name. And I know that I'm... I've been longing for it since right before we went back to school." Out in the hallway, Harry came to his decision.

_**I'll give her my answer tonight,**_ he thought. The doorbell sounded and he turned to answer it, hearing the two women in the kitchen heading his way. He didn't want to be discovered evesdropping and hurried to the bottom of the stairs to make it seem as if he had only just come down, and opened the door as Hermione and Laura came out into the hall. On the other side stood Mr. and Mrs. Granger, Natanya and a woman that Harry didn't know, but from the resemblence to Natanya, took her to be Diana.

They were loaded down with suitcases and gifts, and Harry stood back to let them into the house. He took some of David's burden as the man stomped snow off his boots. Hermione came forward and did the same for her mother while Laura took everyone's coats to put them into the hallway cupboard. Natanya set down her bags, stepped forward and held out her hand.

"I apologize about the way I acted this summer, Harry. You didn't deserve the way I treated you. I was upset about the restraining order from Justin and I think I wanted to prove to myself that I could still attract a guy. I chose you to do that even after I saw how my cousin felt about you, and I'm sorry. Neither one of you did anything to me, but I did all I could to make you jealous, Hermione, by trying to take Harry away from you, and then I jump him when he's least expecting it. I'm really, really sorry." Harry took the hand she offered and shook it.

"Apology accepted." Hermione nodded in agreement and hugged her cousin. Laura gathered the three teenagers into a group hug.

"Who wants to help finish decorating the house?" she asked. They all nodded excitedly, making the adults laugh. They all moved to the living room, discussing how to proceed with the decorations and in the slight confusion, Harry's earlier thought about his answer to Hermione flew out of his head entirely.


	41. Board Games, Presents & His Decision

Harry Potter And The Summer Of Surprise-Chapter 41

Board Games, Presents And His Decision

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter.

Author's Note- Before all my American readers get confused, Harry and Hermione's family are playing the British version of Monopoly. The board is changed to reflect that.

It wasn't until four days later, when Hermione's parents were getting ready to leave for Rome and her uncle John arrived, adding a number of presents to the already overflowing pile under the tree, that Harry remembered that he was going to give Hermione an answer to her request. The problem was getting her alone long enough to talk to her. She, Laura and Diana were in the kitchen at the moment, baking what smelled to Harry like ginger snaps and chocolate chip cookies. Natanya nudged gently him in the side, bringing him back to the Monopoly game he was playing with her, David, Mary and John.

"Are you O.K., Harry?" John asked him. He nodded in response.

"Just thinking about something Hermione asked me about a while back." From the looks on David and Mary's faces in the glance that they shared, Harry gathered their daughter had told them about it. He leaned forward to pick up the dice in an attempt to hide his flush.

I_** can't believe that she is talking to everyone else about this but me **_he thought as he rolled the dice and moved forward seven spaces, then waved off the two hundred pounds Natanya was holding out to him, and gestured for her to put in in the middle for the Income Tax that he had landed on.

_**Only because you don't want to talk to her about it**_ his inner voice responded.

_**I needed to **_**think **_**about it. This is going to be a big change in our lives. Even though she explained why she wants this, I wanted to be sure that **_**I'm**_** ready to do it. She has assured me that she is, but **_**I **_**need to be as well. Now shut up and let me concentrate on this game.**_

He tried to focus his attention on the board, joining in the groans when someone else landed on the Free Parking and received all the money that was in the middle and the cheers when the people who weren't doing so well made it through the areas with houses and hotels. On his next turn, he rolled double sixes and moved ahead to Bow Street, where Natanya whooped with delight.

"Nine hundred and fifty, Potter! Cough it up." He shook his head with a smile as he handed over the money to her.

"Just wait, Natanya," her uncle John, who had already gone bankrupt to Harry, said. "He's got hotels on Park Lane and Mayfair." Harry rolled again and landed on the Free Parking, but only received the five hundred that had just been put into the pot after David's recent win.

"Aren't you guys done with that game, yet?" Hermione sat on the arm of the couch beside Harry and held out a plate of the cookies she had been helping with. He took a ginger snap as she leaned down to kiss him.

"Almost. Natanya's biggest win has been from me and I'll probably get her when she comes around from the yellows." Sure enough, Hermione's cousin rolled an eleven from where she sat on the Water Works and that landed her on Mayfair. She shoved her meager property and money pile down the table to Harry's.

"I quit. He wins. Even if I mortgage all my stuff, I'll only get about two thousand and something out of it and after I pay the rent I owe him, I still have to get past his hotels on Whitechapel Road and Old Kent Road."

That left only Harry and David as Mary had gone bankrupt after paying rent to her husband when she landed on Piccadilly. David played ruthlessly, but still wasn't able to pay the rent on Oxford Street with three houses when he came around to it five minutes later. As he had no more properties left to mortgage, he handed his money and cards to Harry and declared him the winner. As Natanya started putting the game away and the others stood up to stretch, Harry pulled Hermione aside.

"I need to talk to you later," he whispered in her ear. Laura came in as Hermione nodded, and headed over to the Christmas tree.

"I have an idea. Since David and Mary are leaving for Rome in the morning, how about we give them their presents right now?"

The others agreed and Harry moved forward to help Hermione's aunt drag a large gaily wrapped package from the back of the tree. The two of them carried it to the coffee table and set it in the middle.

"This is from me, Hermione and Harry," said Laura as the others retrieved their gifts to Mary and David from the large collection before resuming their seats. Hermione handed Harry the two that he had brought and sat on the arm of the couch again to watch her father tear into the wrapping paper of the large box. Her mother gasped when she saw what was inside. It was an enormous frame that housed a family tree which branched off into three main directions. In the center were the names- David Phillip Granger and Mary Eugenia Parker. Both led off in opposite directions of the individual's family giving the dates of births, marriages, in some places divorces, and deaths, but the third branch went down the center with only two names- Hermione Jean Granger and Harry James Potter. They weren't connected by a line, but Hermione's mother and father looked up at the two owners of the names with questions in their eyes.

Hermione smiled and held out her hand which now sported the ring that she had been hiding on a chain around her neck to keep the progression of their relationship a secret from Voldemort's followers.

"Harry's name is on there because he and I are engaged." Diana and Mary shrieked with joy.

Natanya threw her arms around Harry's neck and kissed his cheek rather sloppily, leaving a large wet spot and said, "I hope you know what you're getting into, mate." He grinned at her as he marveled about the change that had come over her in the course of three months. David stood and offered his hand.

"Welcome to the family, Son," he said as Harry shook it.

After a few minutes of continued congratulations to the happy couple, Natanya blurted out, "Open my present next." This produced laughter from everyone and they all settled down to watch Hermione's parents finish opening their gifts.

Later that night, Harry nervously sat in bed watching the snow fall outside the window as he waited for Hermione to come out of the bathroom, picking absently at the cranberry trim on the comforter covering his legs. The sound of the shower stopped and Harry's mouth went completely dry. He swallowed with great difficulty as the door opened and Hermione stepped out, rubbing her wet hair with a towel. Harry swallowed again when she pulled the towel off her head and grinned at him.

"I feel much better now," she said, returning the towel to the rack just inside the bathroom door. "Now, I seem to remember you telling me that you wanted to talk to me earlier." Harry nodded silently, unable to find his voice at the moment. "What about?" Hermione asked as she made her way to the bed and slid under the covers to snuggle next to him.

"I think you know," he whispered hoarsely. Hermione pulled back and looked into his eyes.

"You mean...?" Harry nodded.

"I've made a decision," he said. Hermione sat up and clasped her hands in her lap, her face showing the great apprehension Harry knew she must be feeling at the moment. He felt the same way.

"And?" she prompted after a minute's silence. Harry swallowed a third time and reached over to retrieve his wand from the nightstand. He took a deep breath and turned to Hermione, who was holding her own breath as she watched him expectantly.

He lowered his eyes, pointed the wand at her and muttered, "Conceptus Permittere." A pale pink mist entered Hermione's body. Then without looking up to see her reaction, he turned the wand on himself and added, "Revertere Sterilis." A dark blue mist entered him and he felt a warm tingling throughout his pelvic area. He heard Hermione's soft sob and looked up to see tears streaming down her cheeks. "Did it hurt?" he asked with concern. She shook her head and put her hands on either side of his face, leaning forward to kiss him softly.

"Thank you, Harry." He gave her a small smile.

"I still don't know if I'm ready to be a father, but I won't do anything more to prevent you from getting pregnant if you really want my baby. Although I have no idea why you would." He placed his wand back on the nightstand. "I just want you to be happy, 'Mione. That's all I'll ever want for you." He took off his glasses, lay them beside the wand and turned off the lamp, throwing the room into darkness. He lay down and Hermione snuggled next to him, still sniffling.

"I've told you why, Harry. I don't want you to be the end of the Potter line. And I want to be the one to help continue it. If it ends up that Voldemort succeeds in...killing you," her voice broke with the words, "I want there to be a piece of you that goes on." Harry shifted position so that he could pull her into his arms.

"But we're still in school, Hermione. Why did you want me to remove the charms now and not after we leave Hogwarts? There's no guarantee that Voldemort will call me to the final battle before then." Hermione raised her head.

"There's no guarantee that he _won't_, Harry." He heard her begin to cry once more.

"I can't fight him until I find the last horcrux. I still have to find the artifact of Gryffindor or Ravenclaw. It could be anywhere, you know. If _he_ found it, that is." He kissed her shoulder, and she lay her head back down on his. "But I'm not gone yet, 'Mione. And I don't have any intention of letting Voldemort kill me. I'm going to be here for a long time. Long enough to see _Dudley's_ grandchildren, and since he doesn't even have a prospect of a girlfriend, that could be decades away at least. Trust me, there's time for children later, but if you want them now, I won't do anything to prevent it. Especially," his voice took on a slightly husky tone as she began to run her hand over him. "When I can't resist you if you do something like that."

Hermione was glad that she'd had the foresight to cast Silencio on the room before she had gone into the shower as she started shrieking with giggles when Harry rolled the two of them over and began tickle torturing her, but her laughter didn't last long, and turned into long drawn out moans when his tickles moved lower and became arousing caresses.


	42. Harry Tells Ron Everything

Harry Potter And The Summer Of Surprise-Chapter 42

Harry Tells Ron Everything

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter.

"Did you do anything special for Christmas, Harry?" Ron asked after the first day of the new term. Harry smiled and nodded.

"We got up and opened all the presents, then ate breakfast, and went outside and had a snowman making contest all over the back lawn. Diana won." Ron's brow furrowed.

"Who's Diana?" he asked.

"Hermione's other aunt. She was there along with Laura, their brother John, Natanya, and Hermione's mum and dad." Ron shuddered at the memory of the stories he had been told about how Natanya had surprised a totally unsuspecting Harry, and practically mauled him before Hermione had intervened.

"I can't believe that Hermione's aunt let that girl back into her house after what she did to the two of you." He attempted to change the subject.

"What did Hermione give you? Never mind, I don't want to know after all." He had caught the gleam in his friend's green eyes that told him it had been of a sexual nature.

"What did _you_ do for Christmas, Ron?" Ron blushed and muttered his answer. Harry's eyes opened wide and he shook his head in disbelief.

"Say that again?" The redhead's face turned a deeper color than his hair and he looked around to be sure that no one was listening. He cleared his throat.

"I..um...I slept with Luna." Harry grinned widely, causing Ron to become offended. "What's so funny about it?" he asked hotly.

"Nothing, mate." Harry held up his hands.

"Then why are you grinning?" Ron grumbled.

"Because that's wonderful. You've caught up to me and Hermione. Well, almost." Ron stopped in his tracks.

"What do you mean, _almost?_"He caught Harry by the arm. "Is that supposed to be a crack about my relationship with Luna?" Harry removed his friend's hand and shook his head.

"Not at all, Ron," he said. The tall redhead crossed his arms.

"Then what did you mean by '_almost?_"Looking around, Harry pulled Ron along with him down the hall.

"I can't tell you out here in the corridor. Let's find an empty classroom." They found one, and shut the door behind them as they entered. Their actions didn't go unnoticed.

The school's best known know-it-all (in the way of the goings on of the students' lives), Katie Concus, and her boyfriend, fellow sixth-year Gryffindor, Adam Thomas, had turned the corner just as Harry and Ron had found the classroom and entered it. Katie looked at Adam curiously. The two of them tiptoed over to the door to see if they could hear anything that the two seventh-years were talking about that needed such privacy. To their disappointment, Harry or Ron had remembered to place a silencing charm on the door. They couldn't hear a thing. Sadly the couple set off to their common room, still wondering what was going on in that classroom.

Inside, Ron's blue eyes were following Harry back and forth in front of him. He waited patiently for his ebon-haired friend to tell him what was bothering him so much, but nothing could have prepared him for what he was about to hear.

"Hermione wants my baby." Ron almost fell off the desk he was sitting on.

"Come again?" he gasped. Harry stopped pacing.

"When we first started sleeping together, I put long lasting contraceptive charms on the two of us to make sure she didn't get pregnant because niether of us was ready to be a parent. But just after the first Quidditch match, she tells me that she wants me to remove the charms because she wants my baby. She literally sprung it on me after she changed her mind and accepted my proposal. She told me that it was because..." He was inturrupted by Ron's jaw dropping almost to the floor.

"She accepted your _what?_"he asked incredulously. Harry nodded.

"I asked Hermione to marry me back in August, but she turned me down. Ticked me off to tell you the truth. She didn't even tell me why until two days later when she forced me to listen to her. I'd been avoiding her because I was hurt and didn't want to hear her reasons. But she made me listen, and we sorted it out. She handed me the ring, she's been holding onto it ever since, I gave it to her to wear on a necklace or just to put in her jewelry box if it made her feel better, and told me to ask her again. I did, and she said yes this time." Ron covered his ears.

"Harry, mate, you're babbling," he stated. "Can't you just get to the point? You know, the one about why in Merlin's name does Hermione want your baby all of a sudden?" He lowered his hands. "You can tell me about her becoming your fiancée some other time." Harry gave him a look that said, _I just told you about that, _but returned to their original subject.

"O.K. From the beginning, then. On my birthday, Hermione's aunt had to go to London for a friend of hers that was having a baby. Well, that left me and Hermione alone for the night and of course we had been wanting to...um..." He made a few futile gestures, and Ron grinned.

"Do the Horizontal Mambo. I get it. And _you've_ gotten it over the last five months, but you can't say that you wanted to go to bed with each other? Bloody Hell, Harry. Continue." Harry blushed for a few seconds.

"Well, anyway, we went upstairs and into my room, but when I turned on the light, she ran. I followed her and we had this little discussion about Ginny and Viktor, and how we both believed that the other had lost their virginity already," he said and looked at his friend, surprised to see that he had turned a violent shade of purple.

"Please tell me that it's not true. You can't be serious," Ron ground out.

"What?" Harry asked, totally confused.

"You slept with my sister and left her at the end of last year?" came the angry reply. Ron stood up and advanced on his slightly smaller friend. Harry held up his hands in defense as Ron attempted to take a swing at him.

"Ron! Calm down and listen to me!" he said as he ducked the other boy's blow. "I said we _believed_ the other had lost their virginity. Not that we actually _had__!_"The redhead halted his attack.

"You didn't sleep with Ginny, then?" he asked, still not unclenching his fists. Harry quickly shook his head.

"No. I haven't been with anyone but Hermione, and she hasn't been with anyone but me. Now, please, sit down and let me say this before I go absolutely mad. I have to tell it and I'd rather it be my to best friend rather than someone that would blab it to the 'Daily Prophet'." Ron uncurled his fingers and resumed his position on the desk. He still held himself stiffly in case of any sign that Harry had just lied to him about his sister and was ready to defend her honor, tarnished as it was now that she was pregnant and engaged to Draco Malfoy, even if it meant beating the living daylights out of his best friend. Harry swallowed nervously at Ron's reaction so far, but continued with his story.

"We straightened everything out, and Hermione told me that she didn't want to get pregnant then, so we used a contraceptive charm that lasted one time along with a Muggle condom just in case that we had done the incantation wrong, and...what's so funny?" Ron was laughing so hard that tears were streaming down his face.

"You're a wizard and you used a Muggle birth control!" He fell off the desk and rolled on the floor, clutching his sides. Harry failed to see the humor in this.

"Ron, when you are through," he said, "I would like to get on with my story." He waited for him to get control of himself. "Are you finished?" Ron nodded, wipping his streaming eyes.

"Sorry, Harry. I didn't mean to laugh, but that was so funny." Harry smiled ruefully.

"It wasn't at the time. See, Ron, at the time I thought that I was, for lack of a better term, and if you ever tell Hermione that I used this word in reference to myself, I swear that I will curse you so badly that your freckles will be the _pale_ bits of your skin." He knew how sensitive Ron was about his freckles and wasn't disappointed in the reaction that he got.

"At the time, I thought that I was a Mud-blood. Of course I know different now. Now I know that I'm Pureblood, but that's a different story for a different time," he said, noting Ron's look of surprise at this bit of news. "The point being, I was raised as a Muggle, not a wizard. I didn't think of the possibility of a contraceptive charm. So, I bought the condoms, with every intention of using them. Hermione on the other hand, _had_ looked into the charms and we used both for our first time, just to be on the safe side. I was so embarrassed when Laura came home the next day and found the two of us in Hermione's bed. Not that she saw anything, mind, because when I woke up, Hermione was covering the lower half of my body with her leg, and she was lying on the far side of the bed, so I was blocking her. She had moved away from the door in order to give us, at least for the visual part of it, privacy so that we could cover ourselves." He took a few breaths before continuing. "Now, I have a question for you. How much did you see of Charlie over Christmas?" Ron appeared thoughtful for a second.

"Not very much," he said. "Why?" Harry leaned against the wall and crossed his arms.

"Well, I saw him all the time. He was at Laura's nearly every day." He laughed inwardly at the expression on Ron's face. "I don't know if he's mentioned this to your mum and dad, but Hermione and I believe that he fancies Laura, and she feels the same way about him. But back to my story, and Charlie does have something to do with it, Laura took us out for breakfast and somehow we ended up at Charlie's house. Seems that they took a liking to each other at my birthday party, and although we surprised him the next morning, he was more than happy to see us, or at least Laura. Hermione and I sat in the front room debating over the two of them. They didn't even really seem to pay much attention to the fact that we were even there. So we went for a walk to a park where we talked and ended up in a situation that required me to show her that when she handed me the book to show me the charm in the first place, I read the next page, unlike her, which is amazing. Hermione Granger didn't do all her homework? Anyway, I found that there was another charm on the next page. Pretty much the same as the first, but it rendered us totally sterile until we removed it." Ron nodded.

"Let me guess. Integer Protectus Conceptus and Integer Sterilis." Harry confirmed it with a nod. "Most wizards and witches know about them by the time they are first years, but as you weren't raised as a wizard, it's understandable. Go on." Harry took a deep breath.

"Well, as Hermione didn't read the next page, she became very angry with me when she found out what I had done. But she came around after I told her that the charms were reverseable. When we returned to Charlie's a while later, they were still in the kitchen, talking and drinking their coffee. They made plans to see each other a few days later, and we went home. Little did we know that was the beginning of us seeing a lot more of Charlie than we bargained for. He started coming over every day, and then once I came home from work around mid August and met up with Hermione, who had just been to the library. We went into the house and heard a crash from upstairs. We ran to see what it was, but found out before we even made it halfway up the steps." Ron looked confused.

"Was Laura all right?" he asked conceredly.

"Oh, yeah, she was fine. In fact, from the sounds that she and Charlie were making, I think that they were more than fine. I had to get Hermione back down the stairs before her laughter gave her away. He must not have thought of Silencio because they didn't think that we would be home so soon." Realization dawned on his friend's face.

"You mean they were...?" Harry grinned.

"Doing the Horizontal Mambo, to use your earlier words." He chuckled. "I cast the charm so we didn't have to hear what they were doing, but we had to hide in the dining room for a few hours with our school books before we could face the two of them. Even then we had to keep our eyes on our own plates at dinner, or we would start laughing. Finally, Laura asked us what was going on, and we had to tell her that we had heard. She blushed so bad that she looked like a lobster with a sunburn, but Charlie just grinned. Hermione and I used it to tease them for the rest of the summer, even with all the stuff with my aunt, but Laura got me back when we were at King's Cross to catch the train. I told her thank you for having me for the summer and she replied, _You should thank my niece more than me. She's had you in the kitchen, the garage, the bathrooms, the dining room and the pool._ Now it was my turn to blush as my aunt, uncle and cousin were standing there listening. But I just tried to smile and said good-bye as Hermione and I went through the barrier to nine and three-quarters, and other than what happened during the holidays, you pretty much know the rest." Ron gaped at him.

"What do you mean _I know the rest_? You didn't tell me why all of a sudden Hermione wants your baby!" Harry sighed and slid down the wall to sit on the floor.

"I was sort of hoping that with the long story I just told, you might forget about that," he moaned.

"Come on, Harry! You _have_ to tell me! It's not fair to build me up and then leave it hanging." His wild haired friend looked down at his knees before speaking.

"You're right," he said softly. "Hermione wants my baby because she doesn't want me to be the end of the Potter line. She thinks that if I die in the battle with Voldemort, that she needs to have someone to carry on my father's bloodline and she believes that she should be the one to help me with it. God, it sounds so much better when she says it." A knock sounded at the door, startling the both of them. Harry sprang off the floor as Ron moved to answer the door, revealing the person that they had just been discussing.

"Harry, are you all right? I just ran into Katie Concus and Adam Thomas. They said they saw you and Ron come in here over an hour ago. We were supposed to meet in the library at five to work on our Herbology essays." Harry looked down at his watch guiltily.

"I'm sorry, 'Mione. Ron and I got to talking and I guess I lost track of time." Ron cleared his throat.

The other two looked at him and he said, "Hermione, why do you _really _want Harry's baby?" Hermione turned an angry gaze to Harry.

"You told him?" Harry nodded hesitantly.

"Well, I know that you've talked to your mum and Laura about it and I needed to tell someone as well. Ron's not going to announce it to the entire school." He stuffed his hands in his pockets and waited for her wrath to hit him. Much to his surprise, she smiled instead.

"I'm sorry, Love. I didn't think about you possibly needing someone to talk to about this, I was only thinking about making sure that the Potter line doesn't end with you." She turned to Ron. "In answer to your question, I want Harry's baby because of what I just said. He should not be the last of the Potter line, he should be able to tell his story to his children and grandchildren. But if that's not in the cards for him, I want there to be a part of him left that _I_ can tell it to." Ron swallowed uncomfortably.

"You make it sound as if Harry's going to die in the final battle with You-Know-Who." Harry looked up from the desk he had been staring at.

"Maybe I will. But if I do, you can be sure that I'm taking that bastard with me." He wrapped his arms around his fiancée. "And I intend to make Hermione's wish come true before I have to leave."


	43. Hermione Is Sick & Valentine's Preps

Harry Potter And The Summer Of Surprise-Chapter 43

Hermione Is Sick and Valentine's Day Preperations

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter.

"Oh, no. Not again!"

Hermione bolted from her chair and ran for the bathroom just as Harry entered their dormitory. He heard her retching in the toilet and followed her, getting there just as she finished.

"Are you all right?" he asked.

"I'm fine. I just have the stomach flu that's been going around," she said weakly as she flushed the mess down and stood. Harry thought about this for a minute. He didn't know about any stomach flu going around the school. He laid a hand on Hermione's forehead as she rinsed out her mouth.

"You don't have a fever, but maybe you should leave your homework and get into bed. Are you sure it's not..." he asked hopefully. Hermione shook her head.

"I'm not pregnant yet, Harry. I've got a cramp in my right calf." He looked confused. "I get them when I'm about to..." He nodded in understanding. "Besides, even if I _were_ pregnant, it would be too soon for the morning sickness. No, I just have a stomach bug, but you may be right. I'll get in bed, but I won't leave my homework. It's almost the middle of January and we really need to get studying for our NEWT's. I can't afford to miss anything. Oh, God!" she finished weakly and shoved Harry out of the way, barely making it before she was sick once more.

When she was done, Harry handed her a glass of water and a towel.

"Harry, would you mind leaving?" she said suddenly. "There's something that I have to do." He felt slightly offended. After all, she had done just about everything in front of him in the bathroom already and he couldn't understand why she was asking him to get out now. "Please?" she begged with a bit of urgency in her voice now.

"Why?" he asked.

"Because I just started and I don't want you to have to see it." She stood and shoved him out of the bathroom, slamming the door behind him. He chuckled, relieved that it wasn't more serious, but still a little hurt that she had been so adamant about getting him out of the room. He set about gathering her books and parchments, and lay them on her nightstand. She came in a minute later, still a little green around her mouth and nose. She crawled into the bed and let him tuck the covers around her shoulders.

"I'll be alright, Harry." She yawned widely. "I just need a bit of a nap." She was out almost before she finished the sentence. Harry tiptoed out of the room and started his own homework, hoping to get his Potions assignment done before dinner time.

He glanced at the clock on the mantle an hour or so later and stood up, stretching his stiff muscles before checking on Hermione. She was still sound asleep, so he headed down to the Great Hall alone, but with every intention of having one of the school's house-elves take some soup to her when she woke up.

"Where's Hermione, Harry?" Ginny asked as he sat down across from her at the Gryffindor table a few minutes later.

"She's not feeling well, so I had her take a nap. I'll make sure that she gets something in her system later." Ginny and Ron exchanged knowing looks. Harry and Hermione had agreed to tell only their closest friends their plans, but apparantly Ron had gotten to Ginny first.

"Is she...?" Ginny gestured to her round stomach to indicate she was asking if the plan had been achieved. Harry shook his head.

"No, not yet. She just has a bug. And," he lowered his voice, not wanting the entire room to hear what was happening, "She started." Ron looked lost, and Ginny gave him a withering glance before she explained it to him. He had the grace to blush at his ignorance in that arena. Harry scooped some beef stew onto his plate and started eating, wanting to hurry back to his dorm in case Hermione needed him. He had gotten halfway through his plateful when he saw Ginny wave to someone at the enterance. He looked to see who it was and jumped up to help his fiancée to the table.

"Why didn't you stay in bed, 'Mione? I would have had Dobby, Winky or Kreacher bring you something." Hermione shook her bushy head.

"I'm fine, Harry. That nap made me feel much better." He knew she was lying, she had an unmistakeable green tinge all over her face as a result of her walk from the seventh floor. She grabbed hold of his arm as she slumped almost to the floor.

"Hermione!" Harry cried. Ron ran to help his friend. Harry picked her up and with Ron holding the doors and everyone else watching with a great deal of interest, he carried her out of the Great Hall and up to the Hospital wing to see Madam Pomfrey.

"Harry, please get me _out_ of here! I'm going stir crazy!" Harry took Hermione's hand and kissed the knuckles.

"I can't do that, 'Mione. Madam Pomfrey said that you can go back to the room in a few more days. She's just making sure that you won't get sick again." Hermione pulled her hand away to cross her arms.

"I had the _flu_, not mononucleosis. I've been here for two weeks, Harry, and I want out!" Madam Pomfrey came out of her office.

"Miss Granger, if you can't control yourself, Mr. Potter will have to leave." She took Hermione's pulse and temperature, then nodded and headed to check on one of her other three patients. Hermione glared at her back.

"If you can't control yourself, Mr. Potter will have to leave," she repeated in a nasty mocking tone. "That does it. I'm out of here." She threw back the covers and started to get out of bed, only to have Harry stop her with a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"Hermione, as much as I want you back in the dorm with me, I want you to be healthy more. Please, be patient and wait for Madam Pomfrey to release you. Look," he said, leaning over to pick up his school bag. "I have your assignments for you." His fiancée made a mad grab for the books that he pulled out.

"Thank you," she said gratefully. "Now I'll have my Runes to work on. And Herbology," she added when he handed her the assignment list that he had written out.

"As well as Transfiguration, Potions and Defence Against the Dark Arts," Harry finished. "By the by, Professor Sprout says for you to hurry up and get back out into the greenhouses. She has a special project coming up for Valentine's Day and she needs the entire class there." He stood up and leaned down to kiss her.

"Now I have to go. Quidditch practice tonight. We want to be good to beat the new Ravenclaw team. Remember, most of them either left or transfered to another school, so we don't really know what to expect from them." She nodded unhappily as she was missing out on the practices and waved as Harry shouldered his bag and walked out of the Hospital wing. Harry breathed a sigh of relief that he was able to keep Hermione in her bed. He had begun making plans for their first Valentine's Day together and didn't want her to see them before the actual day. He felt bad that he'd lied to her about having Quidditch practice, but she may have questioned any other excuse he could have come up with. He hurried up to their dormitory, breaking up a fight between two third year girls along the way. (He couldn't shake the feeling that they were staring dreamily after him as he left.)

He arrived on the seventh floor slightly out of breath, meeting Ron and Luna at the portrait of the witch and wizard, who were still facing off inside their shared frame. He softly gave them the password after stepping as close to the wall as he could without actually climbing it and hurried his friends inside when the portrait swung open.

"What's this all about, mate?" Ron asked, sitting down on the couch and pointing to the list on the side table. Harry picked it up.

"Well, it's stuff that I still have to buy, make, or do before Madam Pomfrey releases Hermione," he said worriedly. Luna looked over his shoulder.

"I can help with this one," she said in her dreamy tone, indicating the item of making a special dinner for just the two of them. Harry smiled.

"Thanks, Luna, but Dobby and Winky are going to be taking care of that. I asked them just before I went to see Hermione. How about this one?" He ran a finger down to decorations. Luna nodded happily.

"Ronald and I can _both_ help with the decorations," she said. Ron looked apprehensive.

"You mean a lot of pink hearts and lace? Count me out. I don't do hearts." Harry laughed.

"No. I don't want all the gushy stuff. Just simple things like candles, roses, maybe _one_ or two hearts, but I want it to remain understated. She's just getting over being sick, and I don't need her to be overwhelmed. She might end up back in the Hospital wing. Besides, pink may be one of _her_ favorite colors, but it isn't mine. Let's stick with red."

They divied up the chores that were left and after Harry won the argument that he would pay for everything as it was _his_ surprise they were planning, Ron and Luna left to go for a walk before dark. Harry sat down on the couch and studied the list. He had a picture in his head of how he wanted it to be, and just hoped that the three of them could pull it off.


	44. Final Artifact & A Wedding

Harry Potter And The Summer Of Surprise-Chapter 44

The Final Artifact and Getting Ready For A Wedding

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter.

Author's Note: Before I get a comment about either one of these, I'm sorry about McGonagall's password, and as I said before chapter one, this was written before DH, so the way Harry deals with the horcrux was just the way I wrote it. It's stupid, I know, but I just wanted to get it out of the way without having to find a special tool for the job.

Harry sat staring into space while he thought about how to phrase his next sentence. Crookshanks purred from behind him as Hedwig landed on the window sill, a mouse in her talons. The sounds made him come back to the present and his eyes focused on what they had been aimed at. He scooted his chair back from the table and stood to retrieve the white box containing his history. He still had yet to really go through it, and this was as good a time as any. The essay wasn't due until the end of the week, and he had already finished all his other work.

He resumed his seat and opened the lid of the box. The picture of his parents and grandparents lay on top and he smiled as his mother lay her hand on the round fullness that would soon disappear when she gave birth to her son, and his father kissed her cheek. He lay the picture aside and started pulling out the documents. His birth certificate (That would have to be changed to show that Lily was a Pureblood), Lily and James's marriage certificate, and a letter that he hadn't noticed before. He broke the magical seal. It seemed to have been written in an extreme hurry towards the end. It read-

The terrible thing that we've feared is happening. Peter has told Voldemort where we are. I didn't want James to make him our secret keeper, but Sirius insisted it was for the best. James is downstairs preparing for the battle. I hope that Harry will be able to read this eventually, as I know that it's really him Voldemort is after. I'm placing this down in the front room cabinet with my grandmother's brooch and James's family amulet. Someone, please find them and give them to Harry.

Dear God! He's here! I have to help James, we have to protect Harry at all costs! If the worst happens, please, whoever finds this letter, take care of Harry and give this to him when he's ready. Above all, tell him that we loved him.

Oh God! He's killed James! The house is totally quiet, has been for almost half an hour, but I don't dare leave Harry. Voldemort will kill him if I don't protect him. James told me to take him and run, but how am I going to get out of the house? I know he's still here, I heard him chanting something just after he... He's coming! I can hear his footsteps coming up the stairs! Don't cry, Harry. Please, even if I have to leave you, don't cry. Someone take care of my son. -

The letter ended there, with no signature, but Harry knew it didn't need one. It was his mother's frantic writing. A plea for anyone that found her toddler son to care for him and protect him if she and James perished. He wiped the tears from his cheeks and read the letter once more. Brooch and amulet? He dug through the rest of the contents of the box. Down near the bottom, he found what he was searching for. He pulled out the cobalt blue and gold brooch and the scarlet and gold amulet that he vaguely remembered seeing when he opened the box for the first time in July, and had to wipe more tears from his eyes. He had to show the letter to Professor McGonagall.

He flew out of his chair, the letter still clenched in his hand. He ran all the way to the gargoyle statue that marked the enterance to the Headmistress's office and realized as he tried desperately to catch his breath, that he didn't have the faintest clue as to what the password was. He needn't have worried, as he heard his name called, and turned to see Professor McGonagall heading towards him.

"What are you doing here, and why are you so out of breath?" she inquired.

"I...needed...to show...you...what I found...in the...box...you gave me...last summer," he managed to choke out and handed the letter to her. She read it quickly, her eyes tearing up as she realized who had written the words, then noticed that Harry had something else in his hand.

"What is that you have, Potter?" she asked. He looked down, surprised. He had completely forgotten about the brooch and amulet. He handed them over to the Headmistress as well. She examined them both, and met Harry's eyes. "Where did you get these?" He swallowed nervously at her expression.

"They were in the box," he said. "They belonged to my parents. Why?" McGonagall swept past Harry and motioned for him to follow her.

"Loch Ness." The gargoyle moved aside and the staircase was revealed. They stepped onto it and were taken up to McGonagall's office. Harry looked around as he followed the Headmistress into the room. Apart from the desk and the new portrait of Dumbledore, which was sleeping at the moment, there was nothing that he recognized here. Overstuffed chairs took the place of the spindly tables that had held the many objects that the late Headmaster had prized, and the cabinets that lined the room now held photographs of McGonagall's family and staff members of Hogwarts. McGonagall led him around behind her desk, through an alcove, and into a magically enlarged room bearing enormous tapestries on each wall. Upon the one closest to Harry, he noticed a giant badger across the top. McGonagall moved a ladder against the far wall that showed a large raven on it's tapestry. She beckoned to him to join her.

When he reached her, she told him, "These are the family trees of the Hogwarts founders. They change with every addition, which is exactly why the room is enchanted to be so large. You notice that at the top, they show which founder's descendants the tapestry shows. This is Ravenclaw's." Harry nodded.

_**That much is obvious**_ he thought, wondering what the Headmistress was on about. She climbed the ladder and ran a finger along a row of names. Not finding what she seemed to be looking for, she moved to the next step down and continued her search. She was almost to the floor when she tapped a spot with a flourish.

"Just as I thought. Potter, come here. You need to see this." She moved aside to allow him to see what she had located. He felt his jaw drop when he saw the name in front of his eyes. Beatrice Marie Bryant, connected to Joshua Michael Evans, then below them, Peutnia Louise Evans, connected to an 'M' and Vernon Edmond Dursley, followed by Lily Marie Evans, connected to James Edward Potter. The next line Harry knew, but he looked anyway to read, marked in the same way as Vernon (_**The 'M' must mean Muggle **_thought Harry.) - Dudley Philip Dursley, and Harry James Potter.

"I'm a descendant of Ravenclaw?" he said with a slight hint of disappointment in his voice. "Then why didn't Sorting Hat consider putting me in my ancestor's house?" McGonagall smiled.

"Maybe you _were_," she answered. Harry frowned in confusion. "The amulet bears a lion," his teacher continued, turning to face the wall to their right. Harry's eyes lit up and he hurried over to Gryffindor's wall, frantically searching for...There! He had found it. William Stanley Potter, connected to Nora Marilyn Price. Under them- James Edward Potter, connected to Lily Marie Evans and below that- Harry James Potter. He swallowed the large lump in his throat as he turned and faced Professor McGonagall.

"I'm a Gryffindor descendant as well," he said, looking back up at the two parts of his extensive family tree. The Headmistress put an arm around his shoulders as tears began to flow down his cheeks.

"Harry, are you forgetting about the artifacts?" she said softly. This got Harry's attention as a new thought came to his mind.

"One of them is the Horcrux," he whispered. McGonagall nodded. He looked at the beautiful brooch, then the scarlet amulet. Which one? Which did Voldemort choose to be the final Horcrux? As he had no way of knowing, he hung his head. "We'll have to destroy both of them," he said sadly. McGonagall handed both items back to him.

"I think that we'll leave that to you, then, Mr. Potter." Harry nodded and headed back out into the main office. He stopped in the middle of the room, turning to look at the Headmistress.

"How do I go about it?" he asked. He spotted a heavy paperweight on the desk. "Can I borrow that?" he pointed to it. McGonagall nodded. Harry picked it up and lay the brooch in its place, took a deep breath, closed his eyes tight, and slammed the paperwieght down on top of the beautiful piece of jewelry. When he looked down at the brooch again, there was a crack all through the brilliant blue stone. He picked it up, and pieces of it fell out of the setting. He placed them aside to inflict the same upon the amulet. When the paperweight impacted on the second item, Harry jumped as a piercing male screech filled the office.

"That was it," he said triumphantly.

"How do you know?" McGonagall asked.

"Because of that scream that followed after I hit it." She still looked dumbfounded. "Didn't you hear it?" Harry asked. She shook her head.

"All I heard was the sound of the weight hitting the desk." They looked down at the crushed amulet as it made a slight hissing noise and a small puff of acrid smoke wafted up from it. The smoke was in the shape of a serpent.

"That proves it, right there," Harry crowed. Again, Professor McGonagall was lost.

"Potter, what are you on about? What proves it?"

Harry frowned with confusion. What was going on? How could she not have seen the smoke? Again, he explained. Something seemed to occur to the Headmistress and she nodded slowly.

"Maybe you are the only one able to see and hear this as you are a descendent of Gryffindor, and when Voldemort passed that bit of his powers to you, he gave you the ability to see the bit of his soul when the Horcux was destroyed." He considered this.

"That would explain why only I saw Tom Riddle down in the Chamber of Secrets in second year. Ginny told me that she never saw or heard anything when she was down there. She was so weak that she passed out almost as soon as she entered the Chamber, but she would have remembered if she had caught a glimpse of Riddle when I discribed him to her. I was seeing a part of Voldemort's soul then, and another just now." He swept the pieces of the ruined jewelry into his hands and stared at them.

"Harry, it would be best if we rid ourselves of those altogether, don't you think?" Harry nodded and turned the remains over to the Headmistress. She, in turn threw them into the fire behind Harry. They watched the metal blacken and mold itself to the hot embers it had fallen into. For some reason, he felt rather sad about it. He knew, of course, it had to be done. But he would have liked to have passed them on to his own children, if he ever had any.

"Professor, can I ask you something?" He turned to face her. "Would you marry me and Hermione?" McGonagall looked shocked. "I know that you have the authority to do so and although it seems as if I'm rushing into it, Hermione and I have known each other since we met on the Hogwarts Express, and I asked her to marry me during the summer. She told me no then, but changed her mind in November. Please? I have a feeling that the final battle is coming very soon, and I want Hermione to be my wife before I go. If the worst happens, and I die, I don't want my life to end without ever having been married to the woman that I love."

Professor McGonagall looked into his pleading green eyes, and knew that she couldn't refuse him. She nodded resignedly and Harry let out a whoop of joy.

"Thank you, Professor!" He threw his arms around her neck for a second, then released her to hurry out of the room.

"Potter, where are you going?" she called after him.

"I have to tell Hermione that we're getting married on Valentine's Day!" With that he was gone.

"Valentine's Day?" muttered Professor McGonagall. "But that's only three days away."

Hermione swallowed nervously as she stared at her reflection in the mirror that hung in the bedroom that she and Harry had no use for other than storage. Ginny had just attached the fingertip length veil to her bushy hair. Harry had insisted that she leave it the way it naturally was, claiming that it added to her beauty. He had enlisted the help of their best friends for their wedding day, the only ones that knew the two of them were engaged in the first place.

Ginny had been sworn to secrecy about the plans, even from her own fiancé. She had reluctantly agreed, only because she so wanted to be part of the wedding. She was in the role of maid of honor, and Ron was, of course, Harry's best man.

Luna, who was acting as a witness to the ceremony along with Ron and Ginny's brother Charlie, was sitting on the bed, finishing the bouquet off by wrapping gold and red ribbons around the stems. Hermione and Ginny had decided on roses, carnations and baby's breath, all of which they'd had to send an owl to Laura to get. She had been so excited to be let in on the news that the wedding date had been decided upon and sent her warmest congratulations along with the flowers, and presents from Hermione's parents, herself and to Harry's total shock, his aunt and uncle.

Vernon had warmed towards him considerably since finding that Petunia was in posession of the same powers that Harry had, although they hadn't sent him a Christmas present when Harry and Hermione were at Laura's, but now a note included with the beautiful quilt that they had sent explained that they had been out of the country entirely then, having gone to the United States at the request of Vernon's boss. Hermione had tucked it into the wardrobe for when she and Harry had left school and had a place of their own. She now gazed at her image and smiled. She, Mary and Laura had gone Christmas shopping one day during the holidays and had found what Hermione considered the perfect dress to be married in. Floor length silk in the palest cream, long sleeves that began at an off-the shoulder bodice. She hadn't shown it to Harry, believing firmly that the groom should not see the bride's gown before the wedding. She wondered how he was getting along.

"Ginny, could you go and see how Harry and Ron are doing? I'm almost ready. All I have left are my shoes and makeup." The redhead nodded and waddled herself out the door. Luna stood and handed Hermione the bouquet.

"I don't think that you need any makeup, Hermione. Your cheeks are flushed enough as it is," she said in her dreamy voice. "And if your eyes were shining any brighter, they would rival the center horn of the triple-headed forest anthrode." Hermione met the other girl's protuberant blue eyes in the mirror.

"I'm not going to ask, I'll just take it as a compliment and leave the makeup go," she replied. She stepped into her shoes and moved to the door, peeking around the edge. Ginny was just closing the door of the room where Harry and Ron were getting ready, a large grin on her face.

"He says to go on ahead. He'll be there in a few minutes." The three girls headed up to the Headmistress's office, while in the other bedrooom, Harry was standing in his boxers and socks staring at his new dress robes, which were hanging on the door of the wardrobe.

"Harry, mate, you have to put them on already. Ginny said that Hermione was dressed and here you are almost starkers. Even 'I'm' dressed and I take the longest to get around in the morning. You know that." Harry nodded.

"But this day is very important. This is Hermione's wedding day and I want everything to be perfect." He took the robes off their hanger and began to pull them on. Sharp cracks sounded in the air just as he was doing up the last button, announcing the arrival of Dobby, Winky and Kreacher. "There you are. Do you have everything that I asked for to decorate the room?"

Dobby and Winky nodded happily, but Kreacher muttered under his breath, "Filthy blood traitor, marrying the Half-blood. Kreacher won't do what she says, not the little piece of rubbish that she is. Nasty little whore." Ron saw Harry stiffen just before he rounded on the house-elf.

"What did you say?" Harry spat. Dobby and Winky shied away at his anger. "I don't care what you say about me, Kreacher," he said without waiting for an answer. "It's nothing that I haven't heard before. But as of now, you are not to say anything bad about or to Hermione, you 'will' do what she asks you to do, and you will be happy about it! Understand?"

He swept out of the room without putting on his shoes, which Ron grabbed and followed a second later, struggling to catch his breath as he was laughing so hard. He caught up with Harry a few minutes later, and tapped him on the shoulder. Harry stopped and looked behind him to see Ron panting heavily, a big smile on his face and holding out his shoes. He looked down at his stockinged feet and grinned sheepishly.

"Thanks," he said, taking them from his friend and putting them on.

"Anytime," Ron said. "Here comes Charlie." They met up with the other redhead and turned the corner to the last hall before the Headmistress's office.

"Are you ready for this, Harry?" Charlie asked. Harry nodded. "Well, then, let's get you and Hermione married."


	45. Wedding Night And Leaving

Harry Potter And The Summer Of Surprise-Chapter 45

Wedding Night And Leaving

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter.

Harry held his new wife's hand as he led the way back to their common room. He checked to see that her eyes were still closed tightly and said the password. He helped her through the portrait hole and the darkened common area to their bedroom. He released Hermione's hand to open the door and peer around it.

"Keep your eyes closed, 'Mione," he whispered as he turned and propelled her into the chamber. He raised his wand when he had closed the door behind them and illuminated the bedroom. "All right. You can open them, now." He watched as she did so and raised her hands to her mouth in astonishment. Their room had been elaborately decorated with ribbons and roses on every surface and the bed had blood red petals sprinkled over it.

"Come with me," Harry said and led her to the next room where a steaming bath had been drawn for them by the house-elves. Candles surrounded the in-ground tub, and more petals were floating in the water. Tears sprang to her eyes as she thought of how much trouble her beloved husband had gone to for this night. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him soundly.

"Thank you, Love." He smiled down at her while his hands went to the zipper of her gown.

"As much as I love this dress, I love what's under it even more. Now, help me get you out of it so that I can show you how much." Hermione pulled away and removed the veil from her hair, then slid the dress off to reveal her totally nude body underneath it. Harry wasted no time in getting out of his dress robes to the same state. He slid into the water and helped her in as well. He dunked under the water and came back up, his usually wild hair plastered to his scalp.

Hermione dove at him, slopping water over the edge of the tub, extinguishing quite a few of the candles and slamming his back rather painfully against the tub's wall. He grunted into her mouth, wrapped his arms around her waist, and moved them farther out into the middle. He had plans for this night, and didn't want to spend the whole of it in the bath. Hermione gave him a look of disappointment when he pulled away from her. He gave her a sly grin in return.

"Do you honestly think that I want to spend our wedding night in a bathroom turning into prunes?" he asked. "And I asked Dobby and Winky to make up the bed specially for you." They laughed, and Hermione allowed him to gently wash her hair, mostly to get out all the confetti from the crackers that Ron and Charlie had pulled over the newlyweds' heads. After they had climbed out and Harry had drained the water, he wrapped a large fluffy towel around himself and Hermione and they stumbled rather than walked back into the bedroom. Harry lay her down gently on the bed and kissed her forhead.

"My mouth's a little lower, Harry," his bride joked.

"I know. I just want this to be the most wonderful thing that ever happens to you. I want you to remember it for the rest of your life." And with that, he extiguished all the candles with a wave of his wand and proceeded to make good on that remark.

Hermione woke the next morning and blindly felt the pillow next to her head. When she didn't encounter Harry's hair or head, she opened her eyes and looked around. She was completely alone in the room. She got up and stepped over the towel that they had dropped the night before. She smiled at the memories of what he had done for her in the span of a few short hours. He had given her his ring and taken hers in a most beautiful wedding ceremony, then had brought her back here for a very romantic wedding night. Hermione stepped out into the common room, still smiling happily, but didn't see Harry anywhere.

_**I wonder where he could be. Maybe he's gone down to the kitchen to get breakfast?**_ But that thought was disproved when she saw the tray on Harry's desk. One of the blueberry muffins was half eaten and she saw a piece of parchment had been slid under the tray. She made her way over to the desk and pulled it out.

-Hermione,

God, this is the hardest thing for me to have to do right now...

_**Oh God!**_ she thought. _**He thinks he made a mistake in marrying me!**_ Tears started filling her brown eyes and she had to clear them to continue reading for his explanations. The tears increased, but not for the reasons that she had been afraid of. In fact, it was much worse.

-Hermione,

God, this is the hardest thing for me to have to do right now. I just got married to you and now they're taking me away to begin training. Dobby woke me up early this morning, telling me that Professor Snape and Remus were set to take me to a secret headquarters. From the note that Remus was sent, I'm to be trained for the next few months by an elite team of Aurors. Not the Unspeakables, but almost. I'm in sort of a hurry, but I had to tell you what happened and why I wasn't in the room when you woke up. They said that I can still write to you and Ron, but we can't use Hedwig or put the address on the letters as Voldemort will be trying to find where I am. So, I'm leaving her with you. Please remember that I love you dearly and I will do everything in my power to return to you when this is all over. I'm still going to be studying for my NEWT's and will be taking them while I am training. You will be getting the results. If I'm not back by the time they arrive, please let me know how I did. That's a silly request. Of course you'll let me know. You'd scream it from the owlery roof if you thought I could hear you. I'm only sorry that I can't be there now to give you the baby that you want so much. Surprisingly, now I find myself wanting it more than you do. I have to go now. Dobby has returned to tell me that it's time to leave. Stay safe and I love you, my beautiful wife.

Harry

P.S. I want Ron to be the captain of the Quidditch team while I'm gone. Please help him find a good Seeker.-

Hermione could only clench the letter to her chest and bury her face in her hand while she sobbed with absolute grief.


	46. Telling Her The Truth

Harry Potter And The Summer Of Surprise-Chapter 46

Telling Her The Truth

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter.

"Have you gotten any more letters from Harry lately?" Ron asked Hermione as he sat across from her in the library. She nodded while she continued with her studying. It was early April and the Professors were now giving the fifth and seventh years piles and piles of work to prepare them for the exams they would be taking at the end of term. Along with all this, Hermione had her Head Girl duties and Quidditch.

She and Ron had filled the Seeker position with Alice Ryan, a third year that showed promise. She had caught the Snitch four out of the five times that Ron had released it and when it began to get dark, she had still wanted to go on with the practice. Quidditch and the letters from Harry remained as two of the few bright spots of Hermione's weeks. She had been feeling rather blah since her husband had left and waited with baited breath every morning when the owl post came. Knowing that the owls from Harry wouldn't be delivered to the Great Hall, she would run to her dorm every morning right after breakfast to see if she had recieved a letter. Many days she was disappointed, but this morning, she had been happy to see an extremely thick envelope on her desk.

"I haven't had the chance to read it yet, though," she said, still not looking up at her friend. "I'm saving it for later. And I'll write him a response telling him about how Alice did in our match against Ravenclaw for you, if you want. I know how you hate writing letters to anyone." She finally glanced up at Ron and saw that he was grinning widely at her. "What?" she asked. He looked around and leaned forward in his seat.

"Ginny and Draco ran off to Hogsmeade last night and got married. She told me about it when you left the table this morning. Said that she wants the baby to be born in wedlock. She's about ready to pop, you know." Hermione smiled at this bit of news and started fiddling with the sign of her own marriage, her wedding ring, which, due to the nessessity of keeping it a secret from anyone who would leak the news to Voldemort, was hanging on a chain around Hermione's neck.

"She's not due until the middle of next month, Ron. By the way, have she and Draco settled the business of the name, yet?" Draco and Ginny had been arguing for the last month over names for their child. Draco was set on Rose Philomena for a girl and Romulus Ogdon for a boy. Hermione had pointed out to both Ginny and Ron that their father, being as fanatical about Muggles as he was, would make a gigantic deal out of either sex's initials. She had explained that RPM in the Muggle world meant Revolutions Per Minute, and ROM meant Read Only Memory. Ginny had groaned at this and gone off to try and persuade Draco to change his mind. Hermione giggled at the memory of Ron's reaction to Malfoy's initials.

"You know they shouldn't let their child go through life suffering the same fate that Lucius and Narcissa put on Draco." Ron laughed. "With initials like DAM, I hope that Ginny makes him see the light before it's too late. But, no. They haven't come to an agreement just yet." He looked over his shoulder and seeing Luna enter the library, beckoned her over to the table before he pulled his books and parchment out of his bag.

"Have _you_ gotten a letter lately?" Hermione asked as Luna sat down. Ron shook his head.

"He sent me one last week, so I don't expect that I'll see another for a few more days." He lowered his voice to a whisper.

"I think that he'd rather write to his wife more than his best friend. I mean, we're close and all, but _I'm_ not the one he has to live with when he comes back." He chuckled as both girls swung at him, Hermione hitting his shoulder, and Luna, his head. They set into their studying and had worked for the better part of an hour when Ron heard Hermione sniffle. He glanced up at her and saw tears running down her cheeks as she read the textbook in front of her.

"Hermione? Are you all right?" Luna asked. Hermione nodded, brushing the tears from her eyes.

"I'm fine," she said. "I just hope that Ron's right, and that Harry does come home. Very soon. I miss him so much, and I'm afraid for him. He never says anything about it in his letters, but I know that he has to be scared to death about the final battle with Voldemort." She sighed deeply. "I've written to Aunt Laura and my parents, hoping that they could tell me something that would calm my fears about possibly losing Harry forever, but all they can tell me is that they are there for me if I need them. I've even, and I can't believe that I'm admitting this, written to Harry's aunt and uncle. They are just as scared as I am, and have gone into hiding in case Voldemort somehow learns that Petunia is in fact a witch and not the Muggle that everyone thought she was in the first place." Both her friends looked confused at this. "They think that he'll try to use them to get to Harry. Even though Harry has found the last of the Horcruxes, he'll still have to fight some really powerful spells, and he'll need all his concentration to be on that, not about whether he has to protect his aunt, uncle and cousin. Or me." She turned and looked out the window as new tears formed.

"What is wrong with me?" she sputtered angrily. "I seem to start crying every time I think of Harry being gone. I should be proud that hes doing this for the world, and all I do is act like a little child that's lost a favorite toy. Why can't I stop doing this?"

Luna patted her hand and said in her dreamy voice, "You miss him. You had only been married for a few hours and he had to leave you. It's only natural to feel this way." Hermione shook her bushy head.

"It's more than that. Whenever someone tries to comfort me about my _boyfriend_ being gone, I get angry and almost blow up at them. Even my best friends," she said ducking her head in embarassment. Ron thought for a second. Then something seemed to occur to him.

"Do you think that You-Know-Who's using Legilimency on _you_ to try and find out where Harry is?" Hermione brightened for a second, then her face fell.

"No," she said softly. "Voldemort wouldn't even have known where I am in the castle exactly and as the Head Boy and Girl's rooms are secret to everyone but the people they choose to let know and the Head of the school, there's no way that any one of the Death Eater's children can find out for him." She glanced round and lowered her voice even more, to almost a whisper. "And anyway, you are one of Harry's Secret Keepers, Ron. The only ones that can tell Voldemort where I am are the Secret Keepers and Harry himself, and he's sure as hell not going to do it." She played with her ring again. "Harry picked the best people to protect his secret. And the only people in Hogwarts that know about our being married are the people who were at the wedding." She looked round the bookshelf behind her to see Madam Pince, who was now starting to kick stragglers out of the library.

The librarian glared at the three friends and said, "The library's closed. Out. Now." They gathered their books and other things, and headed back to their dormatories. Luna kissed Ron good-night when they had reached the corridor to Ravenclaw, then he and Hermione continued on to Gryffindor Tower.

"Ron," Hermione said as they reached the portraits. "Does Harry tell you how he's doing in the letters he sends you?" Ron made a movement that was between a shake and a nod. "Which is it?" He looked down at the floor.

"He doesn't want me to tell you. He doesn't want you to worry about him any more than you already do, you've made it clear that you're scared to death for him in your letters, so he tells me what's going on with his training and tells you how he's doing in his studies and how much he misses you. He only tells you that he's doing O.K. in the training they're giving him, haven't you noticed?" Hermione nodded.

"It's frustrating, really. I want to know everything that he's going through and he's denying me that." Ron could tell that his best friend's wife was on the verge of hexing some poor statue into next month, and he had to calm her down.

"Hermione," he said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "It's so that you'll be able to study and do your best in our NEWT's. He's just as worried about you as you are him, Hermione. If you want him to tell you what's going on about everything, tell him." He turned and gave the password to the Fat Lady's portrait. "That's all I can tell you. He won't do it if you don't tell him, because I've already said that he should, and his answer was that he didn't want to worry you." He stepped through the portrait hole and was gone. Hermione turned to her own portrait and gave the password to enter. The dueling witch and wizard both glared at her when she did so, as they had both just been about to curse the other out of the frame, but revealed the door instead.

She entered the common room and spied Harry's letter on her desk. She made her way over to it and picked it up, leaving her finished homework on the floor as she headed through the bedroom to the bathroom to draw a bath where she intended to read the letter. Hermione opened the flap as she waited for the tub to fill and drew out the sheaf of parchment.-

-Hermione,

This is getting ridiculous. I have so much homework that I can barely keep up with my studies and go through my training every day. I'll be so glad when I take my NEWT's next month. Yes, I said _next month_. They want me to take them in May. I haven't figured out why, but the best that I can guess is because they need all the examiners for OWL's and NEWT's at Hogwarts in June. I'm so exhausted at the end of the day that I'm asleep before I even hit my pillow. And they are still getting me up at the crack of dawn to continue. I have to use my weekends to catch up on the rest of my homework that I couldn't get finished during the week and write to you and Ron. The only time that I get any peace from my instructors is when I'm writing a letter, they leave me alone for about half an hour while Im doing that. By the way, Ron has told me that _I _should be telling _you_ about how my training is really going. So, I'm going to start.

I didn't want to do this as you will only worry about me more and I want you to be able to concentrate on your NEWT studies, but Ron says that you are even more worried about me when you _don't_ know. So, here goes. Every morning, I get up and have breakfast, get dressed and meet with one of my teachers. (I can't tell you their names due to their positions in the Ministry of Magic) We review what they drilled me on the day before, involving one or the other of us getting a couple of bruises and scrapes (usually me), until I get it right, then we break for about an hour or two so I can do some of my school work, then we have lunch, and back with one of the teachers for a new challenge. Work on that for a while, until my last teacher shows up toward dinner time. I can't tell you what this one teaches me as I'm not allowed to say anything to anyone. I haven't told Ron, either, so please don't think that I'm just putting you on and go grill him about it.

On to other subjects, and I'm taking a great risk in writing this to you, but I can't keep it to myself anymore. I've been having dreams about your gorgeous body and it's driving me to distraction, which is another problem for my school work when I have to, um, how am I going to put this, oh, what the hell, if Voldemort gets ahold of this, then he'll figure that I'm not a virgin, so what? What's he going to do to me? Other than attempt to kill me, that is. Anyway, I have to go to my room, lock the door and wank off until I'm ready to fall asleep, just to get the pictures of you out of my head, and I can concentrate on my work again, but it doesn't last long. Five minutes later, I'm thinking of what I want to do to you when I come home. Then I'm hard as a rock again, and when I'm in a class, it's sort of embarrassing. If the teachers have noticed, they don't say anything, but I don't know how they could have missed it when I'm like this all the time.

You can bet that when I get ahold of you, no one is going to find us for about a week. I'll even take you down to the Chamber of Secrets if that's what it takes. But I intend to make you pregnant as soon as I see you, so be ready. Oh God, I'm getting hard just thinking about it. But then again, like I said, when am I _not_ hard with wanting you? (Sorry that my writing is getting a little shaky, but my left hand seems to have a mind of its own when my right is occupied.) ~~~~

Hermione paused here to turn off the tap and strip off. She slid into the steaming water and resumed her reading as the letter got more interesting, and Harrys writing got even more shaky.~~~~

I'm desperate to be with you, but can't chance the risk of bringing you here. So I have to content myself with what I'm doing now. Forgive me if there are a few smudged words or spots that look as if they've had water dropped on them, I keep hitting my sensitive spot and am getting rapidly too warm. I'm imagining what I'm going to do to you when I get home. I intend to take you to our room and strip off every thread of clothing that you have on, then lick your body from head to toe, and get you wetter than you've ever been in your life. When I'm done with that, I'll center my tongue on your throbbing clit and make you come as many times as I can before I can stand it no more and thrust into your tight tunnel. I'll slam my hips into yours, making you scream my name as you go into a stream of one orgasm after another, all right on top of each other. When you are just about exhausted from all the pleasure that I intend to give you, I'll make you come one more time, and that's when I do. Oh God! I'm going to have to stop for a second, I just came all over my hand and the chair. I have to get something to clean this up before my next class. O.K. I'm back. (Stupid statement, really. I'm writing a letter, not talking on the phone.) I just reread what I've written and feel that you didn't get enough of an explanation of what I do every day, so here's a better one.

My instructors teach me defensive spells and curses that they can't teach us at Hogwarts. They've included a Shield Charm to protect me from curses, and I had to master that quickly as they insist on shooting curse after curse my direction even when I'm just wandering the halls. I'm getting to the point that I know when they are there, even before I hear or see them. I've been told that this is good as it will help me defend myself when I go after Voldemort. I'll have sort of a sixth sense when it comes to the Death Eaters trying to get to me. Right now, I have a black eye and a sprained ankle due to the rigors of my classes. They tell me that I'm not in Hogwarts and that Voldemort won't be taking care not to hurt me, he'll be intending to kill me. Like I don't know this already, right?

Since I've been here, just to let you know how much they are training me, I have had three broken ribs, two cracked vertebrae, a skull fracture, almost lost one of my eyes, a broken leg, and various pulled, strained or torn muscles. There is a Healer here from St. Mungo's every other day, and she takes care of my injuries, but don't tell that to Madam Pomfrey. She may get all defensive about it as she is the one that regrew the bones in my arm back in second year. I have to go now, my teacher is here for the _Secret Class_ that I can't tell anyone about. I promise that I'll write again soon, and remember that I love you.

Love,

Your Husband, Harry-

Hermione frowned at the list of injuries that Harry had sustained while going through this training. She knew that it was neccessary to prepare him for what he must soon face, but it wasn't fair. The only thing that he had done was survive a curse and that made him the savior of the world? She sighed. Of course it did. She had heard the prophecy, she knew what it meant. And she knew that being friends with, and in her case, married to Harry Potter, meant that you had to expect him to be banged up once in a while. Sometimes yourself, as well.

But still, it made her stomach start turning uncomfortably and she had to bolt out of the tub, making it just in time to lose her dinner in the toilet bowl. She felt only a little better, and thought that she should go to bed and maybe in the morning, she would have a better frame of mind to deal with what her husband was enduring wherever it was that they had taken him.


	47. Ginny Has Her Baby & Joy And Sad

Harry Potter And The Summer Of Surprise-Chapter 47

Ginny Has Her Baby And A Joyful Discovery Before A Sad One

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter.

"Ron, what are you doing?" Hermione asked one day in the middle of May. She, Ginny, Draco, Luna and Ron were sitting under a tree by the Black Lake, and her redheaded friend was throwing little bits of something into the water. "Our NEWT's are only a few more weeks away and you are tossing rubbish into the lake. You should be studying." She rubbed her stomach, which hadn't calmed down since she had read the letter Harry had sent telling her about the injuries he was recieving during his training. Sometimes it was so bad, that she was unable to eat anything or it would come right back up again.

Ginny watched her brother for a few seconds then returned to her own studying. She, as a sixth year, didn't have the pressure of the OWL's or NEWT's, but still needed to get good marks if she wanted to continue in Hogwarts after her baby was born, and that was due to happen any day, now. She shifted position uncomfortably on the bench she was sitting on with Draco and felt the baby kick her extremely hard. This was followed by an intense tightening around her middle, centering in her lower back. She let out a low groan and placed her hand on her bulging stomach. Everyone's eyes flew to her.

"Ginny, are you all right?" her husband asked concernedly. She smiled and nodded as the pain passed.

"The baby just gave me a strong kick in the ribs," she said, and returned once more to her work. Hermione went over her notes the best she could due to the fact that her stomach was acting up even more than usual today. She had only had a bit of toast for breakfast and during their first class, she had had to be excused to run to the loo. She had to stop thinking of Harry's getting hurt all the time, or she would worry herself into anemia. She looked up as Ginny groaned again and dropped her notebook as she saw the look on her friend's face.

"We have to get her to the hospital wing, now," she ordered, standing up from her position on the ground and helping Ginny to her feet as well. The others looked at her questioningly. "She's in labor! Help me already." Ron and Draco sprang to their feet and both put an arm around Ginny, taking one of hers at the same time. Luna gathered everyone's books and followed them up to the castle. The little group gathered looks from other students all the way up to the hospital wing, but ignored them and the remarks that followed. Hermione shoved open the door to the room and called out for Madam Pomfrey. The woman came out of her office, and noting Ginny's state, hurried over to help them get her into one of the beds.

"Someone go get Professor Sheldon," she ordered, and Luna ran to do so. When they returned, Ron, Luna and Hermione were ushered out of the wing and the door was closed behind them. They waited anxiously for several hours, hearing Ginny's cries of pain and Professor Sheldon's muttered instructions. Finally, they heard the cry of the baby, and turned to face the closed door. It was almost another fifteen minutes before Draco opened it and came out carrying a small bundle wrapped in a white blanket. He headed to Ron and handed the baby over to him.

"Meet your niece, Ron." Hermione and Luna looked over his shoulders at the tiny little girl. She had light red peachfuzz hair and Draco's mouth and nose. She opened her little hazel eyes, which were shaped like Ginny's and gave her uncle a newborn's unfocused stare.

"Oooohhh! She's so sweet!" crooned Luna. Hermione smiled and hugged Ron.

"Have you and Ginny named her, yet?" she asked. Draco nodded.

"Addison Elise Malfoy. Ginny talked me out of those names that I suggested a while back." The others smiled and congratulated him. Hermione went in to see Ginny and to congratulate her as well. She was sitting up in the bed looking very tired but happy.

"Isn't she beautiful?" she asked Hermione, who nodded.

"Her name suits her. And you know that she's a witch, too." She sat gingerly on the edge of the mattress, rubbing her stomach as it churned a little bit. Ginny frowned.

"Are you all right?" Hermione nodded as Madam Pomfrey came over with a little vial for Ginny to drink. The healer explained that it was to speed up the healing and prevent tiredness. She looked at Hermione and folded her arms.

"You shouldn't be around a new mother if you are sick, Miss Granger." Hermione looked up.

"I'm not sick, really. I've just had this upset stomach for the last few weeks. Ever since Harry sent me that letter, really." Madam Pomfrey's eyebrows rose.

"A few weeks? And you haven't gotten better?" The others entered the room and Draco handed Addison to his wife. "Miss Granger," Madam Pomfrey said thoughtfully. "You had been in a phyisical relationship with Mr. Potter before he left, hadn't you?" Hermione nodded. "And when was your last period?" Hermione blushed at the fact that Ron and Draco were hearing something this personal, but when she tought about it, she couldn't remember.

"I don't really know," she replied. "I've been so worried about Harry since he left and about NEWT's, and then I find out about some of the things that Harry has to go through on a daily basis..." She trailed off as the woman nodded in a knowing way.

"Come with me." Twenty minutes later, a flushed Hermione rejoined the group surrounding Ginny's bed.

"Is everything O.K., Hermione?" Ron asked when he noticed her. She nodded happily.

"I'm sorry, Ginny, Draco, but I have to go now." She congratulated them again and dashed to the door.

"What's going on?" Ginny called after her.

"I have to go write to Harry and tell him he's going to be a father! I'm pregnant!"

Hermione hurried into her common room and hugged herself tightly. She ran one hand down to her stomach and caressed it lovingly.

_**I'm going to have Harry's baby!**_ she thought happily as she danced around the room. She spied a stack of envelopes on her desk and moved to retrieve it. The top one was from Harry. She excitedly opened it, planning out how she was going to tell him in the letter that she would write, but her heart fell when she read his words.-

-Hermione Love,

This is to be the last letter that I can send you. They've found Voldemort and we are leaving in the morning to go after him. My training is nearly complete, and they feel that I am ready to handle the final battle now. Please don't worry about me, I'll be fine. I'm sorry that I have to cut this short, but the owl has to leave now as the Death Eaters are attempting to intercept our letters. Yes, they have found where I am as well, so please, keep yourselves safe and don't let anyone send me another letter. I love you dearly and will see you as soon as it's over.

Love Always,

Harry-

She felt the tears running down her cheeks. Damn Voldemort! Damn him to hell! Why did this have to happen just when her dream had come true and she was about to tell the man she loved that he was to be a father by next Christmas? She remembered the other letters and glanced at the writting on them. They were from her parents, Natanya and Laura. She continued crying as she read each one and wrote replies in return.

_**I just wish I was telling **_**Harry **_**about his baby, too**_ she thought as she wrote the names on the envelopes and sent them off with Hedwig, who was more than happy to finally have a delivery to make, and Hermione figured that it was safer to use her to send letters to her family. She turned as Hedwig flew out of sight and started back down to the hospital wing to tell the others what had happened.


	48. Harry's NEWTS & Loss Of Everything

Harry Potter And The Summer Of Surprise-Chapter 48

Harry's NEWTS And Loss Of Everything She Wanted

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter.

Hermione, Ginny and Ron sat at the Gryffindor table eating breakfast just past the middle of June. Their NEWT's had just finished and they were celebrating that they were over with. They now had nothing but free time until their graduation day at the end of the month. Ron was holding Addison while his sister was arranging her robes to nurse her. The owls arrived and began showering the students with celebratory packages and when Hedwig landed in front of Hermione and Ron, they both pulled something off her legs. Hermione noticed the stamp on her letter as being from the Ministry of Magic. Harry's NEWT results! This was the first time she had heard anything from his side of the post since his last letter. She opened the envelope and drew out the paper inside with shaking hands-

**NASTILY EXHAUSTING WIZARDING TEST RESULTS**

** Pass Grades Fail Grades**

** OUTSTANDING (O) POOR (P)**

** EXCEEDS EXPECTATIONS (E) DREADFUL (D)**

** ACCEPTABLE (A) TROLL (T)**

** Harry James Potter has achieved:**

** CHARMS O**

** DEFENSE AGAINST THE DARK ARTS O**

** HERBOLOGY O**

** POTIONS O**

** TRANSFIGURATION O**

She laughed with giddy relief. Her friends both looked at her, Ron with half a Chocolate Frog in his mouth, and Ginny arranging her daughter to a more comfortable position.

"What's up?" Ron mumbled through the frog. Hermione handed him the paper. He almost choked when he read it. "He aced everything?" he asked incredulously. Ginny reached over and snatched the results from her brother.

"Good on Harry," she said, handing it back when she was done. Hermione took one of Ron's frogs and tore into it, now ravenous for the first time in weeks. Her morning sickness had been horrible once it had officially started, but now it was over and she again felt like eating. She had sworn the others to absolute secrecy about her pregnancy, not wanting anyone else to know before Harry, but it was getting harder to hide now that she was in the middle of her fourth month, she had to keep her robes fastened at all times when around the other students and teachers, even though it was boiling hot in the castle. Fortunately, they would be leaving school soon and she wouldn't have to worry about it anymore when she got home.

She was going to Laura's as that was where her parents went to hide from Voldemort and the last that Hermione had heard a week earlier, Petunia, Vernon and Dudley were there with them. With Laura being a Muggle, Voldemort would have no interest in seeking out that house. Addison finished her breakfast and Ginny covered herself with her robes while she pulled her shirt down.

"What do you want to do today?" Ron asked.

"I want to take a nap," Ginny yawned, adjusting her daughter again so that she could burp her. Ron stuffed the rest of the frog in his mouth and offered to take Addison so his sister could have breakfast.

"You love that baby, don't you, Ron?" Hermione asked as several first year girls came over to see his niece. He confirmed that he did as the girls cooed over Addison, and Ginny laughed when the baby burped, yawned and fell asleep in his arms.

The first years left soon after, and Ron leaned over to whisper to Hermione, "And Harry is going to love _that_ baby." He jerked his head to her stomach. They all rose and Ron sent his sister off to Gryffindor Tower to nap while he took care of his niece. Draco came over to them, asked if they wanted to go for a walk to enjoy the beautiful day and took his daughter from his brother-in-law. The three of them walked out the Enterance Hall doors and blinked in the bright sunlight as they started walking around the lake. They waved to Hagrid, who was feeding Witherwings. Draco now knew that it was really Buckbeak, but he didn't care about that anymore. He was happy, and no longer felt the need to act like, as Ginny had put it when they first began dating, a total ass of the first water.

They played with Addison until it was nearly lunch time and Ginny joined them soon after for another walk around the lake until dinner. Hermione found herself wishing more and more that the final battle was over so that she could experience all of this happy time with her husband, and witness his joy about their own coming baby.

Graduation day arrived, and the whole school was in an uproar. There was so much noise from the parents and various other family members, that Hermione could barely hear what Professor McGonagall was saying to her. She was to be accepting Harry's certificate as he wasn't there to do it. Hermione nodded and straightened her white graduation robes before joining the other seventh years in the queue to head outside to the ceremony. One of the scarlet fastenings had come undone and she closed it before anyone noticed her already showing pregnancy. Draco and Ron appeared at her sides, both looking handsome in their white robes.

"I hate this thing," Ron muttered. "I look like a sunburned cloud." Draco laughed as he fiddled with his green fastenings, pulling them down into a straight line.

"You think you've got it bad, I don't have any color at all, what with my hair." The doors opened and the seventh years began their journey to the Quidditch stadium, the only place with enough room for the whole school and their families to witness the graduation. When they had all been seated, Professor McGonagall cast 'Sonorus' on herself, made a short speech and began calling out the names of the graduates to come up and recieve their certificate. Draco looked confused after a while as McGonagall was calling the names in alphabetical order and seemed to have missed Hermione. He looked over at her, but she didn't look worried about it, so he let it go. His name was called soon afterward, and he rose to cheers from his wife. He resumed his seat as the 'P's' were being called. Padma Opal Patil, Parvati Idaa Patil, he knew that Harry was next, who would be collecting his certificate?

"As Harry James Potter is unable to be here today, he is battling He-Who-Must-Not- Be-Named, his certificate will be given to Hermione Jean Potter, his wife." The entire audience started buzzing with interest at this. Hermione stood and made her way to the front to retrieve Harry's certificate and then her own. The buzzing got louder when she was turning to return to her seat, and she looked up to see Rufus Scrimgeour, the Minister Of Magic striding up the center aisle flanked by Kingsley Shacklebolt and Remus Lupin.

They climbed onto the stage and spoke quietly to Professor McGonagall, who then turned sad eyes to Hermione. Lupin came over to her and resolutely held out a wand- Harry's wand.

"NOOOOOO!" Hermione screamed and fainted. Before anyone could catch her, she toppled off the stage and fell the five feet to the ground below.

Everyone started clammoring about what was going on, and McGonagall, forgetting that her voice was still amplified, said, "Get her to the Hospital Wing now, she's carrying Potter's baby."

Hermione woke hours later in the Hospital Wing, wondering how she had gotten there. She heard voices talking on the other side of the room.

"She received quite a shock," one said. "There was nothing we could do to save the baby." Hermione struggled to sit up.

"I lost my baby?" she cried. Madam Pomfrey, Professor McGonagall, Rufus Scrimgeour and Remus Lupin hurried over to her bedside. Hermione broke into tears. She remembered what happened. "Harry. Is he really...gone?" Lupin nodded.

"We couldn't find him at the scene of the mark," he replied.

"Mark?" Hermione asked.

"There was a scarlet and gold lightning shaped mark across the sky above Voldemort's dead body. Harry was nowhere to be found. All we did find was his wand and this." He held out his hands. Inside them lay a baby pheonix.

"Fawkes?" Hermione asked, holding out her hands for the little bird.

"How did he get there?" McGonagall questioned.

"We don't know, we think he gave his life to protect Harry's, but it looks like he failed." Hermione cried softly into the pheonix's feathers, messing them up more than they already were.

"I want to keep him," she said, struggling to keep from sobbing. "I've lost my baby, my husband. I want at least some part of him to go on, and this bird tried to protect him. I'll keep him." She could no longer hold back her tears, and they started flowing down her cheeks.

The others nodded and left her to cry in her grief over the loss of Harry and their baby.


	49. moving To Grimmauld Place

Harry Potter And The Summer Of Surprise-Chapter 49

Moving To Grimmauld Place

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter.

Laura smiled rufully as she watched her niece drive the Camaro away. Hermione had stayed with her for the last few months, crying and grieving over her lost husband and child. Mary and David had been supportive of her decision to move to 12 Grimmauld Place in order to be closer to her memories of Harry. She had wanted his car as well, and had packed her few belongings, including Crookshanks, Hedwig and the baby phoenix into it to take with her. She had told Laura about how the phoenix must have attempted to protect Harry, and had been reborn when a curse had killed it, so she felt that she needed to keep it, using the little bird as a final tie to the man she had loved.-

Hermione pulled into the back drive of 12 Grimmauld Place and got out of the car. Dobby and Winky were waiting for her in the kitchen. Kreacher had not come along, he had died in his sleep two days after Graduation. Hermione was glad, she didn't think that she would have been able to tolerate the house-elf's surly attitude while she worked through her grief for Harry.

The other two elves were more than happy to come and help as long as she needed them, and she was grateful. She looked around the now neat and flourishing yard, a far cry from the barren hard packed dirt and overgrown weeds that had been there the last time she had been in the house. She took the two cages and basket containing her animals and headed through the open back door of the house she had inherited, noting that there was a great deal more light inside. The wallpaper was scrubbed clean and was a lovely shade of cream. The threadbare rugs had been removed to reveal gleaming hardwood floors beneath. Her footsteps echoed through the hallway as she headed to the front hall. She rose onto her toes, remembering the portrait of Sirius's mother, but was surprised to see it was no longer on the wall.

"That picture had fallen to the floor before we had arrived, Miss Hermione," came Winky's squeaky voice from around the staircase. "Winky and Dobby burned it." She turned to see the house-elves. They were both wearing their numerous socks and hats, but both were cleanly attired.

"Thank you, both," Hermione said. "I'm just going to let the animals out of their carriers and then get the rest of my stuff from the car." She set Crookshanks basket on the floor and opened it. The large ginger cat lept nimbly out and circled her, meowing. She knew what he wanted, he had become very attatched to the two birds and didn't like to be away from them for more than a few hours. She took the phoenix out of his cage first, setting him on the perch that had been set up for him by the stairs. It was low to the ground for the time being so that the little bird could easily access it when it needed to rest. Then she opened Hedwig's cage, letting Harry's owl fly upstairs. She seemed to feel the loss of her master as much as Hermione did, hooting mournfully every so often, mostly before she went on a hunt.

Hermione moved to head outside, but stopped when her belongings were carried past her by Winky and Dobby. They headed upstairs with the items, leaving Hermione watching them with a bemused expression on her face.

"Well," she said, turning to her now purring cat, who was rubbing against the phoenix's perch happily. "I guess we'll explore the house, then." She bent down to allow the bird to hop unsteadily onto her shoulder and led the way though the ground floor rooms. Crookshanks ran ahead of her into the parlor where she, Harry, Ron and Ginny had helped clean back in their fifth year. Tears welled in Hermione's eyes and she had to turn away from the door for a minute to get ahold of herself. Ron was arriving in a while and she wanted to be able to smile when she saw him. As if on que, the front doorbell rang. Her cat tore off towards it, meowing the whole way.

Hermione chuckled as she followed, arriving just in time to see Dobby opening the door to reveal not only Ron, looking a bit lonely since Luna was now back at Hogwarts for her final year, but Professors McGonagall and Snape, Draco, who was carrying five-month-old Addison, the rest of the Weasley clan, minus Ginny, who was also still in school, but including Percy and his new wife Penelope, and Narcissa Malfoy. She had divorced Lucius after the war, stating that he cared more for power than he did his own family. He had been given the Dementor's kiss soon after the divorce was granted, having been found guilty of being a Death Eater. The same fate had been exacted upon Voldemort's other followers as well to ensure that not one of them would attempt to continue his hideous plans.

"I didn't expect _this_!" Hermione exclaimed, holding out her hands for the baby. Draco handed her over and little Addy's eyes lit up at the sight of the bird still on Hermione's shoulder. She attempted to reach it, but the little phoenix puffed up its unrully feathers and fluttered awkwardly to the floor, heading to its perch.

Addy's hazel gaze followed it, but she just seemed to be saying, _Oh, well. Guess it doesn't want to play right now._ The adults laughed as she turned her attention to the sparkly ring that was on her godmother's hand, poking and prodding at the glittering ruby and sapphire that were on either side of the diamond. Draco took his daughter as she began yawning.

"I'll just take her upstairs for a nap," he said and headed up to one of the many bedrooms above them. He rejoined them in the kitchen where they sat around the long table, eating a light lunch of ham and swiss cheese sandwiches and pumpkin juice and talking about their favorite memories of Hogwarts. Hermione loved hearing McGonagall tell about seeing Harry for the first time in ten years and sorting him into his house.

"And I silently prayed that he would be put in Gryffindor. Little did I know that _he_ was praying to be put anywhere but Slytherin!" Hours passed and it began to grow dark outside. The others gathered their cloaks and put them on, bidding Hermione good-bye in the process.

When Severus gave her a short hug, he whispered in her ear, "I'm also glad that Potter wasn't put in my house. If he had been, he wouldn't have been friends with such a wonderful woman." She smiled at him and waved as they disappeared off the front steps. She turned with a sigh back into the house and shut the door, ready, if not eager, to get on with her life now.


	50. The Secret Of The Phoenix

Harry Potter And The Summer Of Surprise-Chapter 50

The Secret Of The phoenix

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter.

A year passed, and the phoenix watched as the humans came and went.

The one called Ron married the one called Luna and had twins that their father said looked so much like his brothers at that age, he wondered if they hadn't been brought from the past with a time turner. The others were having children, as well. The little girl, Addison, now had seven little cousin playmates, and the phoenix noticed that the woman that had adopted him was about to have a cousin, as well, according to her. Apparently, her aunt had married Ron's brother and was very pregnant. The bird, however, just watched them as he grew.

He was now almost fully grown, and almost ready to reveal his secret about what had happened the night of the final battle. He somehow had to tell them all what had happened to Harry Potter. The woman, Hermione, still cried for him every so often when no one was around. The house-elves had been sent back to where they were from and she was alone to take care of the phoenix and the other two animals, Crookshanks and Hedwig. Crookshanks seemed to like him very much as it rubbed against his unrully brilliant red head when the bird was at a level that the cat could reach. Hedwig would bring him gifts of field mice and toads that she had caught, but he wasn't interested. He couldn't stomach them, prefering the seed that Hermione put in his dish every morning. Both the other animals seemed to know his secret.

He now sat on his perch, staring up the staicase as he heard Hermione moving around, getting ready for bed. He glanced around to see if the cat or owl were around, he didn't want them to be hurt if he succeeded in what he was about to attempt.

Concentrating very hard, he imagined that he was able to change his shape. For many minutes, nothing happened. He began to grow tired, but suddenly he felt the familiar twitches. A second later, there was a loud crash as the phoenix fell to the floor in a heap. Silence from overhead, then a clatter of running footsteps as Hermione came to see what had caused the noise.

"Crookshanks?" she called softly from the top of the staircase. "Hedwig?" She began to descend slowly.

He lay on the floor, looking up at her feet, unable to make any sound or move for a moment. He watched her bend to look over the other side of the banister, her lit wand in her hand, and got up.

"Hermione?" he croaked. She froze, then turned, snail like to face him, holding the wand aloft.

"Oh, my God!" She cried, running down the stairs and flinging herself into his arms, kissing him all over his face. "It's you, Harry! It's you!"


	51. What Happened To Harry

Harry Potter And The Summer Of Surprise-Chapter 51

What Happened To Harry And What They Both Wanted

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter.

Harry still had to laugh three years after he had surprised Hermione by changing from the pheonix back to his human form. He had explained after he had attempted to make good on his promise in one of the letters he had written her, that the class that he wasn't allowed to say anything about was a transfiguration class. He had been learning to become an Animagus. They had called their friends to the house a week later (He wanted a little bit of a honeymoon with his wife and a chance to reaquaint himself with being human after almost a year and a half as a bird.), and they received the surprise of their lives when he'd answered the door.-

Ron's jaw hit the ground and everyone else's eyes nearly fell out of their heads.

"Are you coming in, or not?" Harry asked, stepping back to allow them access to the house. As soon as the door was closed, they all started cheering and shrieking with joy at having their friend returned to them. Hermione stepped in and guided Harry out of the mob scene, he was getting hugged so much that he was afraid he wouldn't feel his arms for a month. They led the way hand in hand to the parlor and gestured for everyone to have a seat.

"I'm not even going to say _Guess you're all wondering where I've been and when and how did I get back._ I'm just going to tell you," Harry said when they were all in their seats and staring at him with wonder as he stood in front of the fireplace. He smiled at Laura, who looked as if she were about to pop. "Congratulations to all of you on your children, I've seen them over the last year, believe it or not. Addy looks just like you, Draco."

Ginny and Draco smiled down at their daughter, who was on the floor with Ron and Luna's twin sons, Michael and Alexander.

The others, Fred and Angelina's son, Dylan, George and Katie's daughter, Charlotte, Bill and Fleur's daughters, Evangeline (Eve for short), and Sienna and their son, Sienna's twin brother, William, were on their parent's laps. Tonks and Remus were due to have their own child in a few more months, and Harry grinned at them.

"I've also seen the engagements and the weddings." They now all looked at him as if he had grown a second head. "I know, I know, you don't understand," he went on, holding up his hands in defense. "So I'll explain. Did anyone notice what's different in the entrance hall?" He watched as the group met each other's eyes. "O.K. That's a _no_. Did anyone pay attention to the way something out there looked for the last year?" He smiled, already knowing the answer to this. Percy spoke up from the back of the room.

"Where is this going?"

Harry looked back at him and replied, "I'm getting there."

Hermione inturrupted, "He's just taking the long way about it." The group laughed and nodded.

"Right. Well, anyway, I'll tell you what I'm talking about. The phoenix." The only one that seemed to cotton on at this point was McGonagall, and she smiled broadly.

"Have you gotten registered yet?" she asked Harry. He shook his head.

"No. Besides the people in this room, no one knows that I am still alive." The others were still confused.

"What are you on about, mate? What has the phoenix got to do with you and what would you have to register for?" Fred asked.

"The phoenix was _Harry_!" Ginny burst out. All eyes turned to him for confirmation. He tapped his nose to show that she was right.

"Got it in one, Ginny," he said.

"But I thought that when a person transfigured they turned into a full grown animal," broke in Mrs. Weasley.

"They do," replied Harry. "But as a phoenix, I also aquired their gift of being reborn from ashes." He heard his aunt gasp to his right.

"You mean?" He nodded as he turned his head to look at her.

"Yes, Voldemort _did_ succeed in killing me, but it was only after he had been defeated." He met confused stares from everyone in the room. "O.K. I'll explain." ~~~~

Harry peered around the boulder he was hiding behind.

_**That last shot nearly took my head off**_ he thought. The way to Voldemort was clear now, and his back was to Harry, searching futilly for his sworn enemy. All the remaining Death Eaters were either captured or otherwise occupied in their own battles. A stray shot ricocheted off a tree and headed straight for Harry, forcing him to jump behind the boulder to save his neck once more. He ducked low, and scrambled out onto the battleground.

_**Stupify! **_ He cast the silent curse at his target, hitting him directly below his shoulder. Voldemort turned, his mouth opened in a silent scream and toppled over. Harry's curse would last only a few minutes, he was so tired and weak. They had been engaged in this battle for the last fifteen hours, neither side wanting to admit defeat, but that was fine with Harry. He, himself, would never let Voldemort beat him. Not while there was a breath left in his body. He hurried to the prone figure on the ground and pointed his wand straight at Voldemort's forehead.

_**I have to become a murderer or **_**be**_** murdered**_ he remembered. _**Neither can live while the other survives.**_ But he found that he was unable to cast the killing curse upon his enemy. He could not do something that cruel and, in a sense, become like the creature evil had created, that was now stirring while Harry stared down at him. His hesitation cost him dearly.

"Crucio!" Voldemort bellowed, rising and pointing his wand at Harry, who fell and curled into himself against the pain. He rolled over and over, closer to his combatant and hit him with one of his flailing feet, tripping him. Almost at once, Harry's pain stopped and he lay gasping for a second before looking around to see where Voldemort had got to. He found him, lying on the ground a few feet away, impaled through the chest on a large piece of jagged rock. Harry watched in fascinated horror as blood ran from the surely fatal wound. He got to his feet and stumbled to Voldemort's side. In a glance, Harry knew that he had won. Voldemort was dying quickly and he, Harry, hadn't had to do it with the Avada Kadavra Curse.

He raised his arm in triumph, shouted, "Libban Libertas!", and a gold and scarlet lightning bolt, much like the scar upon his forehead, obliterated the Dark Mark that had been there almost since the start of the battle. He sensed movement coming from in front of him on the ground.

"Avada Kadavra!" and Harry instinctively did what he had been taught to do, using his last available bit of magical power, just before Voldemort's final curse struck him, and the other man died, thinking he had won when Harry disappeared, his wand flying some thirty feet away. The few able members of the Order arrived at the sight of Harry's mark and looked around for him. But the only things that they could find in the two day search of the area after they had burned Voldemort's remains, was Harry's wand and a baby pheonix that must have attempted to protect him. They picked the little bird up and took it with them, no one paying attention to the lightning shaped mark on it's forehead or it's overly ruffled head feathers. ~~~~

"As a baby phoenix I didn't have the ability to use my powers to change back to Harry, and I had exhausted my entire magical reserve in changing to a pheonix to begin with. I was bordering on being forced to fight as a Muggle, with my hands and whatever I could find to use as a weapon." He stopped his explaination, and conjured a chair out of midair, sitting down in it before continuing.

"My feet were starting to hurt," he said jokingly to the others. "Besides, I need a good position to do this so everyone can see me, even Rita Skeeter over there in the corner, trying to get down everything that I've been saying." The others started and spun to look where he had indicated, some of them jumping to their feet to confront the reporter before Harry stopped them.

"Hey! It's all right. She was invited, too. I wanted to set the story straight about what happened. Hermione told her that she was coming to get a big story about me, and that every word that she heard had to be repeated in the story as it was. She wasn't told that I would actually be here, but it goes without saying that she has to abide by our wishes, or we will rat out her little secret right here to everyone in this room, and as some are from the Ministry, that wouldn't be good." Ignoring the curious looks this recieved, he motioned for those that had risen to return to their seats, continuing as they did so.

"I had to rest for a while, but it was almost a year before I was able to even attempt to change back. I would try Wingardium Leviosa in my head for a few minutes every day. Some of you know that I have the ability of _thought magic_. For those of you that haven't heard of it, it's being able to do small bits of magic using only your thoughts. And now I'm thinking, duh, Potter, they could have figured that out for themselves." He received laughter from his audience.

"Anyway, I started with light things like a feather, the way I was taught in first year, and when that got too easy, I moved on to books and vases, and so on. When I could pick up the troll leg umbrella stand, you all know how heavy that damn thing is, I knew that I was ready." Suddenly he sat up ramrod straight in his chair, George opened his mouth to ask if he was O.K., but closed it when Harry changed into the phoenix that had been sitting on the perch in the entrance hall for the last year.

"Birdie!" squealed Addison, and she abandoned her activity of pulling her cousins' bottles away and putting them back in their mouths to head straight for Harry. Several of the adults moved to intercept, but Harry reverted to his human form, startling the little girl. For a moment, she looked as if she was about to cry, but then clapped her tiny hands and laughed with delight.

"She thinks it's a game," chuckled Ginny as her daughter toddled to Harry and tugged on his pant leg. He grinned down at her, and she held up her chubby little arms to be picked up.

"She likes you," Draco said, astonished. "She never likes anyone the first time she meets them."

Harry scooped the little girl into his arms and said, "Maybe it's not the first time we've met." He looked into her hazel eyes and smiled. "Maybe she knew who the phoenix was all along." He whispered into the toddler's ear and she nodded energetically. He began walking to the door.

"What did you say to her?" asked Molly.

"I just told her that I was hungry and asked if she was, too," came the reply as he took her granddaughter to the dining room. Laughter filled the room as everyone rose to join them.

Hours later, Harry entered the bedroom that Hermione had chosen when she moved into the house. "Ron's a father. That's something that I thought I would never see, as much as he acted like a child himself while we were in school. Speaking of which, what did I get on my NEWT's? I was never able to find out." Hermione looked at him in the mirror of her dressing table.

"You got all Outstandings," she said in a troubled tone. This didn't go unnoticed by Harry. He immediately went to her side and squatted down next to her.

"Hey, what's wrong? Did I say or do anything to hurt you today that I don't know about?" She shook her head and closed her eyes against the tears. She had to tell him.

"You should have been a father before Ron," she whispered hoarsely.

"Hermione, Love, it's alright. I'm having a lot of fun trying to get you pregnant, believe me. And when I succeed, and you are carrying our first child, I'll be on the roof crowing about it to the whole wizarding world." Her chin dropped to her chest. "'Mione? What is it? What's wrong?" She began sobbing.

"I'm sorry I lost it, Harry. It wasn't my fault, though, I was so distressed, and I fell, and..." Harry held up one hand.

"Hang on. What are you talking about? You're sorry you lost _what_?" Hermione's sobs increased.

"Our baby." Harry's eyes bulged almost out of his head.

"What! When? I mean the last time we were together was..." Hermione nodded.

"Our wedding night. That's when it happened. I didn't find out until Ginny gave birth to Addy, I thought I was just worried about you so much that I was making myself sick, and I was under a _lot_ of stress, what with you, and our NEWT's, I didn't pay much attention to the fact that I wasn't getting my period. I was so happy when I learned I was pregnant, I rushed right up to our room to write and tell you, but you had sent me that last letter." Harry covered his mouth with one hand as he listened to her.

"Oh my God," he whispered from behind it.

"I was still overjoyed to be carrying your child, and when you returned, I was going to give you the best surprise of your life, but then during graduation, I had gone up to get our certificates, and Remus and Kingsley Shacklebolt showed up with Rufus Scrimgeour, and they gave me your wand. I got upset, and was standing near the edge of the stage, so that when I fainted, I fell off, and landed on my stomach five feet below." Harry rose and backed away, anger on his face.

"Harry, please, don't be mad at me. I swear, it wasn't my fault." His green eyes focused on her and his expression softened as he moved back to her and pulled her to him in an embrace that nearly suffocated her.

"No, it's not your fault, 'Mione. It's that bastard Voldemort's! Damn him to the hell that he now burns in for all eternity! Even in death, he manages to try and destroy my family. He killed my parents and now he's taken my...my child." Tears began to fill his emerald eyes.

"Harry, it's alright. Madam Pomfrey said that I would still be able to have children and a doctor that I went to while I was staying with Aunt Laura confirmed it. Harry, " she held out her hands, and he took them. "There's no reason why we can't keep trying." He nodded as the tears of grief for what she had gone through slid down his cheeks. Hermione moved closer and stood on tiptoe to kiss him. -

"Harry?" He shook his head and looked up to see his wife standing in the doorway, her brown hair wet from her shower, and a fluffy pink towel wrapped around her body. "I thought you'd be asleep by now. You had a really busy day, catching that last criminal and all." Harry had achieved his dream of becoming an Auror, trained by Alastor Moody, himself, and had become one of the top Dark Wizard catchers in the Ministry. He held out his hand.

"I was waiting for you." A feigned look of shock came over Hermione's face and she crossed the room to crawl into bed with her husband.

"What did you have in mind?" she asked breathlessly as he pulled her towel open and began to kiss his way down her body. She now noted that he was as naked as she was, and throwing the bankets down to the end of the bed, she reached down to grasp his thickening cock. He gasped around her nipple, nibbled lightly on it, and moved lower still, away from her wandering hands. Hermione slid lower on the mattress to allow him room to do as he wished. She wasn't disappointed. His tongue slid between her still shower wet folds, and lapped at the little nub inside. When he looked up to see her reaction, he almost exploded to see her chocolate eyes locked onto his.

"Touch yourself, Harry," she whispered. He fastened his mouth on her clit as he did what she asked. She moved her head to watch him stroke the length of his member, paying extra attention to that spot just under the head. That was his favorite place to be touched during their love making, and she made a note to do it whenever they were like this. Every time he hit that spot, his tongue jumped, and it drove her crazy, it wasn't long before she was calling out his name and coming repeatedly. Harry pulled away only when he had turned her into a quivering puddle of bliss, and moved up to slide into her. He loved her gently and slowly, the way he had on their wedding night, bringing them to the brink time and time again, stopping every so often to draw out their desire. When Hermione could take no more, she bucked her hips into his. He took the hint and began slamming into her. Her sharp barks of pleasure quickly drove the both of them to the edge and they toppled over it together. They lay afterwards in each other's arms, gently kissing and petting until they heard a loud drawn out wail from across the hall.

"I'll go," Hermione said and rose out of the bed, pulled on her robe and left the room to check on the source of the cry. She entered the next room and crossed it with little cooing sounds, looking down at the beautiful little baby boy in his crib. He looked up at her with his tear filled eyes and let out another ear-splitting cry.

"All right, now, Harrison Jacob Potter, what is all this fuss about?" She picked the baby up and realized immediately what the problem was.

"Whew, Harrison! What did you eat to make that stench?" Her nine-month old son giggled at his mummy's expression. She changed him and gave him a bottle, rocking him back to sleep. When he was back in his crib, she put out the light and closed the door halfway before heading back to her own room. The sight before her tugged at her heart and she had to smile. Harrison's exact look-alike was curled much in the same position as his son, sound asleep. Hermione put out the lights and crawled into her bed, kissing Harry on the first reminder that he saw every day of all that he had gone through to get to where he was now, his scar.

FAMILY LISTS- (t)= Twin (P.S.- There's a little surprise here that wasn't mentioned in the story.)

Bill and Fleur Weasley- Daughters- Evangaline Marie Weasley

Sienna Renée Weasley (t)

Son- William Albus Weasley (t)

Charlie and Laura Weasley- Daughter- Haley Summer Weasley

Fred and Angelina Weasley- Son- Dylan Joseph Weasley

George and Katie Weasley- Daughter- Charlotte Emma Weasley

Ron and Luna Weasley- Sons- Michael Arthur Weasley (t)

Alexander Stephen Weasley (t)

Ginny and Draco Malfoy- Daughter- Addison Elise Malfoy

Remus and Nymphadora (Tonks) Lupin- Son- Wyatt Tristan Lupin

Severus and Narcissa Snape- Son- Damien Dante Snape (Surprise!)

Harry and Hermione Potter- Son- Harrison Jacob Potter


End file.
